Moist Date Cake
Print Pin VideoIf 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.
IMPORTANT: 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
Note 1. If using a convection oven that has a fan function, bake at 160°C (320°F) as the fan function bakes food faster.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 804IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg
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.
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