Sticky Date Cake with Butterscotch Sauce

For the latest birthday cake at the hubby’s place of employment, a sticky date cake with butterscotch sauce was requested.  As with the hummingbird and carrot cake I have made them previously, this was another that I had not attempted before so I checked my trusty Women’s Weekly Classic Cakes book, which of course contained said recipe, and got to work.

I slightly adapted the recipe so that I didn’t have to buy an extra packet of dates to have the majority of them left over, and the same with the pecans.  The original recipe calls for both walnuts and pecans, but as I couldn’t buy pecans loose at the supermarket, in order to get the exact quantity that I needed, I just bought a packet and used them on their own.  In addition to the dates and pecans, you will need self-raising flour, water, brown sugar, eggs, butter and bicarb soda.

This does make a pretty large cake for just one batch, so you can certainly scale it back if you like, otherwise you will need a 26cm x 36cm rectangular baking pan which is greased and lined with baking paper.  Put the dates and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle over the bicarb soda and mix it through.  Make sure you are using a decent sized pot as once the bicarb soda is added, the mixture will froth up and you do not want it to go everywhere.

Let it stand for at least five minutes and then purée with a stick blender or transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Appetising isn’t it

Beat the softened butter and brown sugar in your stand mixer, or with a handheld mixer, until light and fluffy and then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Stir through the puréed dates and sifted flour and then pour into the baking dish.

Cover the top of the cake with the chopped up nuts and then cook for about 50 minutes, or until cooked through.  Stand in the dish for 10 minutes before removing (you can lift it by the excess baking paper or try turning it out but be sure to turn it right side up so the nuts are on top).

For the butterscotch sauce you will need some more brown sugar, thickened cream and butter.  I actually ran out of brown sugar but luckily in my goodie bag from the Cake Bake and Sweets Show I received some light muscavado sugar so used that instead.

Place everything in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

Once it has, bring the sauce to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for at least three minutes.

After the cake is cooked and you have removed it from the pan after 10 minutes, brush the top of the hot cake with 1/3 cup of the sauce and let it soak in.  You will end up with a nice glistening top, good enough to eat… well that is the point after all.

If you are not serving the cake once the sauce is made, simply warm it back up in the microwave and drizzle over a nice slice of cake.

The cake proved to be a hit and it is yet another crossed off the list for me!

Print Recipe

Sticky Date Cake with Butterscotch Sauce

Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Classic Cakes cookbook

Course

Cake

Servings

Ingredients

For the sticky date cake

• 500 g dried pitted dates
• 750 ml hot water
• 2 tsp bicarb/baking soda
• 185 g butter softened
• 500 g brown sugar
• 6 egg(s)
• 450 g self-raising flour sifted
• 135 g pecans chopped

For the butterscotch sauce

• 440 g brown sugar
• 500 ml cream
• 250 g butter chopped

Course Cake Servings Ingredients For the sticky date cake 500 g dried pitted dates 750 ml hot water 2 tsp bicarb/baking soda 185 g butter softened 500 g brown sugar 6 egg(s) 450 g self-raising flour sifted 135 g pecans chopped For the butterscotch sauce 440 g brown sugar 500 ml cream 250 g butter chopped

Instructions

For the sticky date cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) then grease and line a 26cm x 36cm rectangular baking pan with baking paper, ensuring you have an overhang of 5cm minimum.
2. Put the dates and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle over the bicarb soda and mix it through.  Let it stand for at least five minutes and then purée with a stick blender or transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar in your stand mixer, or with a handheld mixer, until light and fluffy and then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
4. Stir through the puréed dates and sifted flour and then pour into the baking dish, covering the top the batter with the chopped up pecans.
5. Cook for about 50 minutes, or until cooked through, then let stand in the dish for 10 minutes before removing (you can lift it by the excess baking paper or try turning it out but be sure to turn it right side up so the nuts are on top).
6. Brush the surface of the cake with 1/3 cup of the butterscotch sauce.

For the butterscotch sauce

1. Place the brown sugar, cream and butter in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves.  
2. Once it has, bring the sauce to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for at least three minutes.

To serve

1. After brushing the top of the cake with some of the butterscotch sauce, place the remainder in a jug to pour over a slice of cake. If not serving straight away, simply reheat the sauce in the microwave.