If you’re a fan of rich, sticky desserts, this date cake is a must-try! It’s soft, moist, and packed with sweet dates—but the best part? Each slice gets topped with a warm, buttery butterscotch sauce that takes it to the next level.
What Makes This Date Cake Special?
This date cake is the kind of dessert that feels like a warm hug—rich and comforting (just like my gingerbread cake and fruit cake)! Whether you’re serving it on its own or topped with the luscious butterscotch sauce (I highly recommend not skipping the sauce!), it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Here’s what makes it so special:
Moist
Thanks to the soaked dates and a touch of melted butter, this cake bakes up beautifully soft and moist. Each bite is tender with a slightly sticky crumb—exactly what you want from a classic date cake.
Full of Flavor
Naturally sweet dates, warm brown sugar, a hint of vanilla, and crunchy walnuts come together to create rich, cozy flavors in every slice. And when topped with the warm butterscotch sauce, it’s truly next-level delicious.
Easy
With simple pantry staples and a straightforward mixing method—no electric mixer required—this cake is quick to prepare. It’s the perfect fuss-free dessert for when you want something comforting and impressive without much effort.
For a similar-tasting dessert, check out my sticky toffee pudding recipe (literally one of my favorite recipes)!
How to Make Date Cake
You can find the full list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Date Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan). Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan and line the base with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine dates, baking soda, and boiling water. Stir and let soak for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
After the dates have soaked for 10 minutes, mash them with a fork—leaving some small chunks for texture.
Add soft light brown sugar, melted unsalted butter, egg, and vanilla to the date mixture. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. It’s okay if the batter looks slightly lumpy, as long as there aren’t any large pockets of unmixed flour.
Fold in the roughly chopped walnuts, again being careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any large air bubbles. Bake for 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (because the cake has a slight dome, let it cool right side up to prevent it from breaking). Once cooled, slice and top with butterscotch sauce (recipe below).
Butterscotch Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine unsalted butter, soft light brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
Transfer to a heatproof bowl (it will continue to thicken slightly as it cools). I like to drizzle warm butterscotch sauce over slices of cooled date cake. Enjoy!
How to Store
Store the date cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If the cake has been topped with butterscotch sauce, it’s best to refrigerate it (although I recommend topping each slice with the sauce separately). For the best texture, bring the cake to room temperature before serving, or gently warm individual slices in the microwave before topping with butterscotch sauce.
Moist Date Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Date Cake
- 1 cup (160 g) pitted dates
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup (180 g) boiling water
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (66 g) soft light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter - melted
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract/essence
- ½ cup (50 g) roughly chopped walnuts
Butterscotch Sauce (Toffee Sauce)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150 g) soft light brown sugar
- 1¼ cups (290 g) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
Instructions
Date Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan). Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan and line the base with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine dates, baking soda, and boiling water. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- After the dates have soaked for 10 minutes, mash them with a fork—leaving some small chunks for texture.
- Add soft light brown sugar, melted unsalted butter, egg, and vanilla to the date mixture. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. It's okay if the batter looks slightly lumpy, as long as there aren't any large pockets of unmixed flour.
- Fold in the roughly chopped walnuts, again being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any large air bubbles. Bake for 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (because the cake has a slight dome, let it cool right side up to prevent it from breaking). Once cooled, slice and top with butterscotch sauce (recipe below).
Butterscotch Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine unsalted butter, soft light brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
- Transfer to a heatproof bowl (it will continue to thicken slightly as it cools). I like to drizzle warm butterscotch sauce over slices of cooled date cake. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
10 Comments
My family really loved this cake. My son-in-law said that it was restaurant worthy!
Amazing recipe! I have made several times and each time has come out perfectly.
My elderly mother loves it, especially the sauce. Even when she is struggling with appetite this is the remedy. She may now be putting on just to get me to make this cake! 🤣
Perfect
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏. Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
My 86yr old mother is addicted to this cake and the butterscotch sauce. Due to physical health issues she is struggling to keep weight on. This cake is perfect she can cut herself a small piece as she pleases especially when not hungry for a full meal. Whenever I ask her which cake she would like, this is the one. I keep butterscotch separate and she likes to take a teaspoon full whenever she passes the kitchen.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Ohhh I am so so happy to hear that Helen! 😀
Made this cake yesterday.. it turned out so moist and delicious omg. Everyone was instantly a fan. I decided to forego the butterscotch sauce and served the cake as is. The sweetness was just right, and the moist cake didn’t even feel like it needed anything more. So good! 😍 Thank you for your recipes! 💖
Aww yay! Thanks so much for the feedback Divya, so glad you loved the date cake 😀
Tried this today and it was incredible. The cake itself isn’t incredibly sweet which is perfect for people who enjoy desserts that are less sweet. It’s incredibly simple to bake and put together, perfect for last minute guests because it can be served slightly warm too. The butterscotch topping is the perfect addition to the cake, makes serving it look fancy too! I usually have to prepare cakes a day ahead when I have guests over because baking and frosting and decorating ends up taking a long time, so this is going to be a new staple recipe in my rotation because its so simple to make and present, without coming across as a low effort recipe. Thank you Maryam!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Fatimah! So glad you loved the date cake 😀