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
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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
-
Preheat oven to 350.
-
Slice the dates. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates, and pour the boiling water over the dates and soda. Set aside.
-
Cream together the sugar and the butter, add the egg. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the date mixture.
-
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.
-
While the tart is baking, make the syrup: boil together the sugar and water for 5 minutes. Add the brandy, vanilla, butter and salt.
-
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.
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.
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