I can't remember the inspiration for this cake. The only thing I can think of is that I was trying to make the most of my bundt tin and wondered if you could turn a pudding into a soaked cake. Well. you can. There you go. Go enjoy.
I should note the sauce in the photos is made using a dairy alternative double cream, so it may be a little thinner than using real cream.
Serves 12-16
Hands-on Time 25 minutes (plus soaking and stewing)
Baking Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
4 Teabags
360ml Boiled water
400g Dates (pitted)
130g Caster sugar
130 Light brown sugar
320g Unsalted butter (softened)
3 Eggs, large
2 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
360g plus 2 tbsp Self raising flour
1/2 tsp Fine salt
2 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
125g Dark brown sugar
150ml Single cream
Equipment
Bowl
Spoon
Kitchen paper
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Food processor
Spatula
Microwaveable bowl
Microwave
Pastry brush
Bundt tin
Skewer
Saucepan
Serving plate
Knife
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (Fan)/325°F/Gas mark 3.
Add the teabags to the bowl and cover with the boiling water.
Leave to stew for 5 minutes before removing and squeezing dry with the spoon. Discard.
Add the dates to the tea and leave to soak and soften for 30 minutes.
When the time has passed, remove 100 grams worth and allow them to sit on a piece of kitchen paper to dry.
Add the caster and light brown sugars along with 200 grams of butter to a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Add 360 grams of flour, the salt, and ground ginger. Fold until combined.
Pour the dates still soaking in tea into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.
Using a spatula, fold the date puree into the cake mix. It may be a little grainy but this doesn’t matter.
Add 20 grams of butter to the microwaveable bowl and pop into the microwave for no more than 20 second blasts at a time. Stir with the pastry brush between rests until it has melted.
Brush the insides of the bundt tin with the melted butter, ensuring you get every nook and cranny.
Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the tin. Shake and tap the tin to coat the insides. Once coated turn the tin upside down and give it a tap to dislodge out any excess flour.
Spoon the cake mix into the tin. Once transferred given the tin a little jiggle along with a few taps on the worktop to remove any air bubbles and level it out.
Pop the tin into the oven on a middle shelf for 50 minutes.
Get on with the sauce when there’s 20 or so minutes left for the cake to bake.
Add the remaining 100 grams of butter and dark brown sugar to a saucepan and place over a medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved and they’ve started to bubble slightly.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream using as clean spatula. You can always pop the pan back over the heat if the mixture isn’t looking as smooth as you’d expect, otherwise set aside.
When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven. Jab the sponge as few times but don’t go overkill with the skewer.
Spoon up to 100 millilitres of the sauce over the cake. Do it slowly as it won’t sink into the sponge quickly. The first sign of some pooling will be a sign it’s had enough.
Leave the cake to rest for 15 minutes.
You may need to carefully run a knife around the edges of the cake as the sauce will be sticky before you place your serving plate (inverted) over it. Flip the cake over and remove the tin, it should come out nice and easy.
Spoon the remaining sauce over the cake. If you want maximum coverage nab the pastry brush you used earlier (give it a wash and dry first). You can always reserve some sauce for serving the cake but personally I like letting it bathe.
Take the 100 grams of dates you reserved earlier and chop them up. Scatter over the top of the cake.
Enjoy!
