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Prep time
2 hours
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Cook time
1 hour
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Serves
8
Author Notes
Dates are under appreciated and people miss out on the breadth and depth of flavor! My mother-in-law, Bertha Varghese, baked a childhood favorite, Date cake. Her daughter Marie and I recover the recipe here, and I can't help myself, I add a raspberry glaze. I think Bertha would have approved! —Rich Altmaier
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Ingredients
- For the cake
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2 cups
plain flour
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1 cup
granulated sugar
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3 tablespoons
addl granulated sugar for the caramelization
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8
oz weight unsalted butter
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1 cup
whole milk
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1
large egg
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2 cups
pitted dates
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1/2 cup
sliced almonds, or chopped walnuts
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- For the glaze
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6
oz weight raspberries
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1
oz weight powdered sugar
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 F convection.
Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper
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Dice the dates. I cut once along the long direction, then 3-4 times cross-wise.
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In a small bowl, beat 1/2 the sugar and butter together until light & fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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In a large sauce pan, place the 3tbs of sugar and 2 tbs of water, and stir to dissolve the sugar entirely.
Then heat on medium, while occasionally shaking the pan, and let the sugar get fairly dark.
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Lower the heat, and carefully stir in the milk, avoiding hot spatter, and stir until the caramel dissolves entirely.
Note: the caramelized sugar will initially harden, but as the milk heats, it will dissolve entirely. Do not boil the milk.
Remove from heat and let cool a bit, below 160F, before proceeding.
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Mix in all remaining sugar and stir until dissolved.
Mix in the butter, and stir until dissolved.
Mix in the chopped dates.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, nuts, salt, baking powder, & spice.
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Beat the egg and vanilla together, for about 5 minutes, and mix into the liquid.
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Lastly fold in the flour to the liquid.
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Pour into baking pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the center does not wobble when slightly shaking the pan, and the sides pull away a bit. Don't check before 35 minutes or it will collapse! There may still be a bit of jiggle in the cake due to the large date content!
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Leave to cool before applying the glaze.
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Adding the glaze:
Place raspberries in a small sauce pan, heat on medium, and smash them a bit with a wooden spoon.
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Stir and continue smashing until it reaches a boil. Let it boil a minute or two.
Pour through a strainer to remove the seeds and collect the juice.
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Rinse the sauce pan and return the juice to the sauce pan, and add the sugar.
Note: this sugar contains a starch which will cause the stiffening we want!
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Heat gently to a boil, then stir regularly, continuing to boil. As it boils it will slightly thicken.
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When a spoonful can pour and show it is slightly thicker, remove from heat and immediately spoon over the cake.
The mixture will solidify quickly, so don't hesitate!
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