Moist spiced date cake with a caramel drizzle and an easy whipped cream frosting. This cake is a modern twist on the classic sticky toffee pudding and is the perfect cake for a dinner party or celebration.
What is Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Sticky Toffee Pudding, or date cake, is a traditional British dessert consisting of a spiced date cake (pudding), a caramel sauce (toffee), and vanilla ice cream (sticky). In Britain, moist sponge cakes are referred to as puddings, hence where the name sticky toffee pudding comes from.
This date cake with a caramel drizzle is a bit different from the traditional sticky toffee pudding. Instead of being baked as an uber-moist cake in a ramekin, it is baked as a fluffy 8×8 snack cake. It’s then topped with a whipped sweetened condensed milk frosting (emulating the ice cream) and a luscious caramel drizzle. This way is way more mess free than a normal sticky toffee pudding, making it perfect for big gatherings and celebrations.
Date Cake Ingredients:
- Pitted Dates: These can be hard to find, but I’ve always had luck at Whole Foods and other health stores.
- Water:
- Baking Soda: Make sure it’s not expired and still fresh.
- Butter: Softened butter is best, melted butter would drastically change the crumb of the cake.
- Brown Sugar: To keep your brown sugar soft, place the heel of a loaf of bread on top of it a few days before use.
- Eggs:
- Flour: Weigh your flour! It’s a much more accurate measurement.
- Baking Powder:
- Salt:
- Ginger: I use powdered ginger, but feel free to add in some chopped crystallized ginger if you have it.
- Sugar:
- Heavy Cream: Milk will NOT substitute for heavy cream, it will not whip and thicken the frosting and sauce.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: If you have extra leftover, try making these Lemon Bars.
How to make a Date Cake:
Date cake is made just like any other cake, except with one special step, simmering and blending pitted dates. Start by simmering the dates with water in a small saucepan, this will take roughly 10-15 minutes on medium low heat. Cook the dates until a fork can be inserted into the dates very easily. Then immediately pour the dates into a blender or food processor, add in the baking soda, and blend on high until a liquid forms. There may be a few stringy bits of date left in the mixture, that’s totally okay. Allow the dates to cool until just warm, no longer steaming.
While the dates begin to cool, whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. Then cream together the butter and brown sugar together until a smooth, fluffy, and pale mixture forms. Scape down the sides of the bowl. Then add in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Pour into your prepared cake pan and bake for roughly 30 minutes.
How to make Whipped Frosting:
Making sweetened condensed milk whipped frosting is super easy; theres no fussing with butter, powdered sugar, or even milk. All you have to do is whip the sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream together until stiff peaks form. This is a very versatile recipe and you could add caramel, freeze-dried fruit, or even chocolate to make it work for any recipe.
How to make Caramel Sauce:
Knowing how to make homemade caramel drizzle is a skill all home bakers should have in their toolbox. Start by making a direct caramel, a pure sugar caramel where some of the sugar is melted and then more is added on top of it. This video by Claire Saffitz is a great visual representation of this process.
Then stir in the melted butter until it has melted, it’s okay if some of it isn’t fully incorporated. Then pour in the heavy cream while whisking vigorously. This mixture may look chunky at first, but continue whisking at low heat until a smooth mixture forms. Pour into a heat-safe bowl, I use a glass measuring jug, cover the top directly with plastic wrap, and let cool in the fridge.
Assemble the cake by spreading on the frosting, splattering on the caramel drizzle, and cutting it into 16 square slices. Serve and enjoy!
Final Date Cake Tips:
- Read the whole recipe before starting, this gives you much more success since you are prepared for what is coming.
- Mis en place, which means to measure all your ingredients ahead of time. Since many parts of this require heat and timely steps, measuring ahead of time makes for a much less chaotic bake.
- Lead with your intuition, this is something I’ve been trying to work on in my baking. At the end of the day you know your kitchen and what’s right, believe in your baking skills.
Date Cake with a Caramel Drizzle
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 16 pieces 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Description
Moist spiced date cake with a caramel drizzle and an easy whipped cream frosting. This cake is a modern twist on the classic sticky toffee pudding and is the perfect cake for a dinner party or celebration.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 125g/1 cup of pitted dates
- 350ml/1 1/2 cups water
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 200g/ 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 60g/ 4tbsp butter
- 100g/1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
Caramel:
- 100g/ 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 50g/ 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 200ml heavy cream
Frosting:
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 70ml sweetened condensed mil
Instructions
Cake:
- Simmer dates with water in a saucepan for 10-15 minutes, until a fork can be easily inserted into the dates with no resistance.
- Immediately pour the dates, water, and baking soda into a blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Let cool until no longer steaming.
- While the dates cool, whisk the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt together in a small bowl. Set to the side.
- Then cream together the brown sugar and softened butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream until pale, smooth and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, scraping between each addition.
- Begin alternating adding the dry ingredients and dates into the wet ingredients. Mix in 1/2 of the flour, then the date mixture, and then the remaining flour. Scrape the bowl between each addition.
- Pour the batter into a prepared 8×8 inch pan and bake at 350ºF for roughly 30 minutes until springy and a toothpick comes out clean. Let fully cool.
Caramel:
- While the cake bakes, make the caramel sauce. Make a direct caramel by heating 1/3 of the caramel in a saucepan. Once that sugar has melted, sprinkle another 1/3 on top of it. Once that has melted, sprinkle the last third on top and let melt. DO NOT STIR, ONLY SWIRL.
- Once the sugar has melted, immediately add in the melted butter, now you may stir it in.
- Pour in the heavy cream and whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes until the sugar and cream have emulsified.
- Pour into a heat-safe cup or bowl, cover, and let cool in the fridge.
Frosting:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream together until stiff peaks form.
Assembly:
- Remove cake from pan and place on a cutting board or cake stand. Spoon on sweetened condensed cream frosting and spread with an offset spatula. Drizzle the caramel sauce on top.
- Cut into 16 pieces and serve!
Notes
*This cake is best kept in the fridge for up to three days.
**All components can also be left individually in fridge overnight and assembled on the next day.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 67mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 30.6g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 3.1g
- Cholesterol: 72mg
Keywords: caramel, sticky toffee pudding, 8×8 pan, whipped cream, cake
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