Toffee Date Cake
Dates, toffee and a creamy, vanilla cream cheese icing, what an indulgent combination of deliciousness. A perfect trio I believe, for an afternoon tea cake.
Being a great believer in always using the best quality ingredients available, the only date really suitable for this fine cake are the renowned Medjool date. This unique date has a colour that ranges from a light red to a rich chocolate brown, and has a flavour which is almost caramel-like in taste with a soft, chewy texture. Perfect for baking but also delicious when kept refrigerated and eaten simply on their own. I for one enjoy them daily from the fridge, especially when I seek a healthy accompaniment to my daily cup of tea or coffee.
It is possible to make this cake with the standard, regular Deglet Noor date but once again, if you wish for the most delicious tasting cake, then I definitely recommend to use the finest quality Medjool date.
Ingredients
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Cake
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250g dates- pitted and chopped
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1 tsp baking soda
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150mls water- boiling hot
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1 tbsp of black coffee- liquid
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125g butter- softened
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150g soft brown sugar
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2 eggs
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125g self raising flour- sieved
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Toffee Fudge
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250g soft brown sugar
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300mls cream- single/whipping
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35g butter- unsalted
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Cream Cheese Icing
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370g cream cheese- softened
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200g butter- softened
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120g icing sugar- sieved
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1 tsp vanilla paste- or essence
Instructions
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Prepare cake tins:
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01 Grease lightly with butter and line bases with non stick baking paper circles.
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Make cake:
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02 In a small bowl sprinkle the dates with the soda, then pour the boiling water over them. Stir until soda is dissolved and allow to stand for 10 – 15 minutes.
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03 In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating until light and fluffy. Stir in the sieved flour, the soaked dates, liquid coffee and water mixture.
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04 Share the cake mixture between the 3 prepared sandwich tins. Smoothing the top gently to form a flat, smooth surface.
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05 Bake 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out cold to assemble the cake.
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Make toffee fudge : approx 300mls
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06 Place all ingredients in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until sugar dissolved. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to become cold which will thicken the sauce.
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Make cream cheese icing:
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07 In a large bowl or by using an electric mixer blend all the ingredients until smooth.
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Assemble cake:
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08 Select the base, middle and top from the 3 baked cakes. Place the base on to a cake board and alternatively layer each cake with cream cheese icing and toffee fudge.
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09 For the last layer, just heap on plenty of icing and smooth all over and down the sides, removing excess to create the fashionable ‘designer’ look. Keep excess toffee fudge in a pan and heat to serve.
Notes
This recipe is created for 3 x 21cm non stick sandwich tins - shallow tins. If you are using the deep kind I would recommend to double the quantity of ingredients. Please note, the raw mixture will resemble a thick batter and after cooking, it is always best to allow the cakes to cool in the tin, as the thin layers of cake may break if handled too much. By the way any leftover icing can be stored and used perhaps as a topping for a cupcake!
