Fall

Tipsy Tart

by:
November  5, 2010
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

This is not my recipe -- I wish it were. It comes from a dear friend, and it was what she always ate for Thanksgiving dinner. It's become part of mine as well. Although it's called a tart, it's really more of a rustic cake or a pudding. It's intensely sweet, incredibly gooey and rich, and it always makes me think of my friend, which is the best kind of dessert to eat at a holiday. - Savour —Savour

Test Kitchen Notes

I was eager to test this intriguing combination of a dark, moist, date cake soaked in a warm brandy syrup. I wasn't sure how finely to slice the dates so I cut them in half and the cake turned out just great with melting pieces of sweet dates. I wasn't sure if the syrup was supposed to get thick but I followed the directions and cooked it five minutes, then poured it over the cake when it came out of the oven. I didn't use it all as the cake seemed to be pretty well saturated with less than the full amount of syrup. I sampled a piece of the warm, dense, moist, brandy-flavored tart, topped with a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream. It was delicious! Almost like a steamed pudding in texture. A very lovely and unique dessert. - JoanG —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Tart
  • 1/2 pound pitted dates (pref. Medjool)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 /2 teaspoons salt
  • For the syrup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup brandy or dark rum
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 pinch salt
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Slice the dates. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates, and pour the boiling water over the dates and soda. Set aside.
  3. Cream together the sugar and the butter, add the egg. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the date mixture.
  4. Pour the mixture into a greased 9" pyrex pie plate, and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  5. While the tart is baking, make the syrup: boil together the sugar and water for 5 minutes. Add the brandy, vanilla, butter and salt.
  6. Immediately upon removing the tart from the oven, pour over the hot syrup. Serve warm with a pitcher of cold cream to pour over the top.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • dymnyno
    dymnyno
  • kemanche
    kemanche
I'm a Los Angeles based home cook with a full time job and 2 young kids, so my recipes tend to be accessible to busy people. I firmly believe that anyone can cook good, everyday meals from scratch with sufficient tools and encouragement, and I try to create meals that are delicious, wholesome and not too intimidating. Most of my favorite recipes tend to be twists on a classic dish that makes it new and exciting.

2 Reviews

kemanche November 7, 2010
Oh my gosh! When I saw the theme, I immediately thought of this recipe. A friend of mine from South Africa gave me the recipe over 30 years ago. It is absolutely delicious!
 
dymnyno November 5, 2010
I am a date addict...will try this soon. I bet it keeps well too.