A Date with a Date Cake
Ever go to a restaurant and have a dish and vow to recreate it at home, then do a massive trial and error and it comes nothing close to what you had? Well, this is one of those stories except along the way I found a good dessert that’ll tide me over until I conquer that vow. The restaurant: Moto, the challenge: Sticky Date Cake.
The recipe I found was off of an Australian site, so all the measurements are done in the metric system. I used my handy dandy scale (which I believe is essential in every kitchen) but if you don’t have one, here’s a good site to do your conversions. The recipe is super easy and super fast if you need to whip something up. Perfect spiced and warm for those cold, wintry nights.
Sticky Date Cake serves 8 (from Taste.com.au)
250g pitted dates, chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups boiling water
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
Caramel sauce
1 cup brown sugar
300ml thickened cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
60g butter, chopped
Preheat oven to 355°F. Grease a 9″ cake pan and line base with baking paper.
Place dates and baking soda in a heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water. Allow to stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until dates are tender.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, stir in date mixture and flour. Mix until well combined.
Spoon mixture into cake pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.
Make caramel sauce: Combine sugar, cream, vanilla and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until boiling. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour warm sauce over warm cake. Cut into wedges. Serve.
Notes
Cake can be made up to 2 days in advance. Place in a foil-lined airtight container and store at room temperature. Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
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I adore that date cake and have tried to replicate it a of couple times. I’ve never attempted the (delicious) sticky topping though–Valentine’s, here I come.
Comment by Elizabeth — February 10, 2012 #