Chocolate Date Cake

This recipe was given to me by a friend some years ago and I have regularly made it ever since. The combination of dates and chocolate makes it moist and sweet. Best eaten the day it is made or the next. After that it becomes too moist.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup water
1 tsp bicarb soda
155gm butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
220gm self raising flour
1 tbsp cocoa
1 cup chocolate dark chips
Method:
Preheat fan forced oven to 160cBoil dates, water and bicarb then let coolCream butter and sugar with electric mixerAdd eggs and vanilla. BeatAdd date mixture, flour and cocoa. Gently mixStir in chocolate chipsBake for 30 minutes then check if edges are browning too quickly. If so, reduce heat and cook until centre is just firm. (With my oven I cook the cake for 40 minutes at 160c then for another 15 minutes at 150c)When cool dust with icing sugar as this cake is best left without icing