Baked TreatsDessert

Jujube & Walnut Cake — A Perfect Copy of the Costco Favorite

Name: Jujube & Walnut Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: One 450 g loaf pan, cut into 8 slices
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ¾ cup + 2 tsp (230 g) jujube paste (from about 5½ oz / 160 g pitted dates); 2 eggs (about 4 oz / 115 g in shell); 3 tbsp (40 g) brown sugar (halve if you don't like sweet); 3½ tbsp (50 ml) corn oil; 2 tsp (10 g) honey; 2 tsp (10 ml) rum; 1¼ cups (150 g) cake flour; ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda; ¾ tsp (3 g) baking powder; 1½ oz (40 g) chopped walnuts (into the batter); 1 oz (30 g) chopped dates (into the batter); chopped walnuts, for the top

2026-10-23

By Vivian

A perfect copy of the Costco favorite — jujube and walnut cake, a shelf-stable loaf with deep date flavor

Why You'll Love It

I love that jujube and walnut loaf and buy it every time I go. The aroma of dates and walnuts, the moist crumb — I can't stop eating it. I didn't expect to nail the same thing on the first try; family and friends all said mine is better.

This really is zero difficulty. Follow the recipe and the steps and you'll get it first time. Read the notes at the end before you start!

Ingredients

Cake
¾ cup + 2 tsp (230 g) jujube paste (from about 5½ oz / 160 g pitted dates)	2 eggs (about 4 oz / 115 g in shell)
3 tbsp (40 g) brown sugar (halve if you don't like sweet)	3½ tbsp (50 ml) corn oil
2 tsp (10 g) honey	2 tsp (10 ml) rum
1¼ cups (150 g) cake flour	½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
¾ tsp (3 g) baking powder

Mix-ins & Topping
1½ oz (40 g) chopped walnuts (into the batter)	1 oz (30 g) chopped dates (into the batter)
chopped walnuts, for the top

Ingredient Notes

Use thick-fleshed dates; about 5½ oz (160 g) once pitted.
Dark brown sugar has more flavor; you can halve it.
The honey is not optional — it holds moisture, and the cake stays moist for three days.
Toast raw walnuts yourself; they're far more fragrant than pre-toasted ones.
Mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together before sifting, so no pocket turns bitter.

Instructions

1

Take about 5½ oz (160 g) of pitted dates, put them in a pan with just enough water to level with them, simmer 10 minutes, turn off the heat and rest 5 minutes, then blend the dates and their water into a paste. If it's too loose, add the cooking water a little at a time; if too thick, add water. Some flow is fine — a little thicker than you'd think is okay, but not runny.
2

Add the corn oil, eggs, brown sugar, honey, and rum to the date paste and mix well.
3

Mix the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder together first, then sift them into the date mixture and fold until no dry flour remains. Don't over-fold.
4

Add the chopped dates and walnuts (the 1½ oz / 40 g portion) and fold a couple of times.
5

The batter should be thick but still a little fluid. Pour it into a parchment-lined loaf pan, tilt the pan to level it, and tap it on the counter three or four times to knock out big air bubbles. I line the bottom of the pan with parchment.
6

Scatter a layer of chopped walnuts over the top.
7

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) top and bottom — measure the actual oven temperature with a thermometer. Bake on the middle rack for 1 hour, watching the color; once it's where you want it, cover with foil. Don't forget, or you'll turn around and find it too dark.
The whole house smells wonderful while it bakes.
8

Out after an hour, poke a skewer into several spots — if it comes out clean with no sticky batter, it's done. Unmold straight away, peel off the parchment, and cool on a rack. That color is tempting. Look at that cross-section — same as the store version, isn't it?
9

Enough said — try it and you'll fall in love. Once cooled, keep it in a bag at room temperature for three days.
10

A few notes:
1. This cake really is zero difficulty — no whipping, no technique. Just follow the recipe. The rum is for flavor; leave it out if you don't have it. But DO add the honey.
2. As written, the cake is quite moist. If you prefer it less so, make the date paste drier — I've made it with thick paste, so the batter barely flowed, and it baked up beautifully, not dry at all. It depends which texture you like.
3. If the batter ends up too thick, add a splash of milk, but don't make it loose — a little flow at most. Too thin and it won't bake through, and the texture suffers.
4. Don't over-fold. Stop as soon as there's no dry flour.
5. If a skewer comes out with sticky batter, it's not done — put it back and bake longer. Follow the steps above with a true 350°F (180°C) and one hour is exactly right.
6. Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable, and don't use more than the amounts given.

Recipe Notes