Recipe - Matrimonial Cake

1 One half cup Flour, all purpose
1 One half cup Rolled oats
1 cup Brown sugar; packed
One half teaspoon Baking soda
One fourth teaspoon Salt
Three fourths cup Butter; softened

FILLING
2 cup Dates; chopped, pitted
One half cup Sugar, granulated
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
Three fourths cup Boiling water

"This recipe in some old cookbooks is called Date Sandwich Cake. Other
variations are Raisin Squares or Fig Squares. .. Date Squares (Matrimonial
Cake, if you happen to come from the West) are a real nostalgia treat. The
fillings in the 30s recipes was extremely sweet. Today's versions reduce
the sugar in the filling, since the dates are sweet enough, and are often
microwaved. Raisin Puff, an old favorite in P.E.I. is somewhat similar,
with raisin filling sandwiched between layers of soft cookie dough instead
of an oatmeal mixture."

Filling: In saucepan, cook dates, sugar, lemon juice and water over medium
heat, stirring often, until the dates are soft, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
In a bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, sugar, baking soda and salt; blend
in butter until mixture is crumbly. Pat half onto bottom of 9 inch square
pan. Spread filling evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining flour
mixture, patting lightly. Bake in a 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until
nicely browned. Let cool; cut into squares.

MAKES: 36 SQUARES VARIATION: Mincemeat Squares
: Use 2 cups mincemeat instead of date filling.

SOURCE: _A Century of Canadian Home Cooking: 1900 Through the 90s" by Carol
Ferguson and Margaret Fraser

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini