Description
A delicious and easy-to-make moist date cake featuring pureed dates, warm spices, and crunchy pecans, perfect for serving plain or with rich caramel sauce and ice cream. This cake blends the natural sweetness of dates with a soft, tender crumb, making it an ideal dessert for any occasion.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 225 g dates, pitted
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 100 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 100 g brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Caramel Sauce
- 3/4 cup caramel sauce
- 2–3 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Oven and Cake Tin: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 7-inch baking tin with oil or butter, then line it with parchment paper. Set it aside for later.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, ground cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Soak Dates: Remove seeds from dates using a knife. Place the dates in a bowl, pour boiling water over them, and add baking soda. Let them soak for 10 minutes to soften.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In another bowl, whisk unsalted butter for one minute until creamy. Add brown sugar and continue whisking for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is fluffy.
- Add Eggs: Pour one egg into the creamed butter mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. Repeat this process with the second egg, ensuring each is well mixed before adding the next.
- Puree Dates: Use a masher or blender to puree the soaked dates until a smooth paste forms.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Add the date puree to the egg and butter mixture, whisking for two minutes until well combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add one-third of the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Repeat this step twice more with the remaining dry ingredients to avoid over-mixing.
- Prepare to Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Sprinkle the roughly chopped pecans evenly on top of the batter.
- Bake the Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Prepare Caramel Sauce: Gently heat the caramel sauce on the stovetop and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream to thin it slightly and add richness (optional).
- Serve: Allow the cake to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy the moist date cake plain or drizzle with warm caramel sauce and serve with ice cream for extra indulgence.
Notes
- Sift all dry ingredients before mixing to ensure a smooth batter and even distribution of spices and leavening agents.
- Using room temperature eggs and butter facilitates easier mixing and a better texture in the cake.
- Measure ingredients precisely using a weighing scale for consistent results.
- You can use different types of baking tins such as a tray, bundt pan, or loaf tin as alternatives.
- Make sure to test for doneness with a toothpick to avoid underbaking.
- Adding heavy cream to caramel sauce helps create a creamier and silkier texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/10th of cake)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
