Canadian Date Squares
May was an exceptionally busy month. I work in education in my real life and May is full of graduations, celebrations, transition, and this year my niece graduated high school, my new team hosted a first-ever graduation ceremony for our international students, and I earned Tenure! With all of that I missed cooking and posting for a few races, but here we are back in the swing of things for Canada!
These date bars are very rich and full of warming flavors. It has been a cooler June for us so baking is still on the table here in California! Hope you enjoy these no matter what weather you are having.
If you are interested in food history, or lore at all, you might be interested to know that these date squares/ bars are often called Matrimonial Cake or Matrimonial Bars. There are a few different theories I have read as to why…
According to TasteAtlas it was from “an old custom of breaking the cake over the heads of newlyweds”
Multiple sources tell the story that it is a bit of a joke… “a couple of crumbs stuck together by a few dates”
CanadianFoodFocus shares other historical elements and also notes that it is commonly thought that the name comes from a more romantic story of the bars representing marriage because the bars had “a firm foundation and a sweet centre, though it looked a bit rocky”
Other descriptions are that “the smooth and rough textures of the date squares represent the easy and difficult times of a marriage”
As with any recipe or name origin story, we will never really know, but I think it’s fun to read about all the different ideas and see food through different lenses. If you want even more history and storytelling, Arlene Stafford Wilson tells about wedding cakes, the Great Depression, and Prize-winning recipes.
These are inherently sweet and rich due the dates and butter content, so don’t skip the lemon juice and zest, it livens up the flavor and keeps them from being cloying. You could amp it up a bit with even more zest if you like a strong lemon flavor!
Canadian Date Squares (matrimonial Cake)
Date Filling
3 cups Medjool dates, pitted
¼ cup water
½ cup orange juice (or water)
3 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground cardamom
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested and juiced (zest reserved)
Crust and Crumble Topping
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup shredded coconut
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground cardamom
1 ¾ cups flour, you may use a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat
½ cup sugar
Scant ¼ cup coconut or brown sugar (if you prefer things sweeter, otherwise leave out)
Zest from the lemon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, frozen
To make the Filling:
1. Chop the dates coarsely to make sure there are no pits and add them to a medium size pot along with the water and orange juice, 3 tablespoons butter, spices, and a pinch of salt. Bring everything to a boil on medium heat, stirring often.
2. Add lemon juice and vanilla to the date filling and continue to boil until nice and thick. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Crust and Crumble:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9inch square baking tin with parchment paper.
2. Add all dry ingredients for the crust to a large bowl and mix. Grate the ice-cold butter on a cutting board using a box grater (careful not to grate your finger tips!) Add the grated butter to the dry ingredients. Rub everything together quickly to form streusel.
3. Add half of the streusel dough to the pan and press down and into the edges to form a crust. Spread date filling on top, trying not to mix the base too much into the filling.
4. Using your hands mix and rub the second half of the stresuel topping a little more to create clumps with the now slightly warmed butter. Sprinkle the second half of the streusel on top of the date mixture. Gently press down to push the crumble lightly into the date mixture. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
5. Let cool completely before cutting into small squares.
Adapted from Cinnamon and Coriander
