Description
A moist, tender date cake topped with a warm, silky salted butterscotch sauce. This easy-to-make dessert is perfect for impressing guests and can be prepared ahead of time.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (200g) Medjool dates, pitted
- ¾ cup (180ml) boiling water
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (100g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sea salt flakes, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9 inch baking dish.
- Place pitted dates and boiling water in a food processor. Pulse to chop, let sit for 5 minutes, then blend until a smooth, thick paste forms.
- Add melted butter, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the date paste. Blend until well combined and glossy. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is set and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs.
- While the cake bakes, make the sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine heavy cream, cubed butter, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir constantly until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
- Bring sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Remove cake from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon half the sauce over the cake and swirl gently. Let sit for 10 minutes to absorb.
- Serve warm with remaining sauce drizzled on top and optional sea salt flakes.
Notes
Ensure dates are soft; soak hard dates in hot water if necessary. Do not overmix the batter to avoid a dense texture. The sauce thickens as it cools; warm it gently before serving if needed. Cake can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of cake with
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 58
- Sodium: 280
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 72
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 5
Keywords: sticky toffee pudding, date cake, butterscotch sauce, British dessert, easy dessert, make-ahead dessert, holiday dessert