Description
A rich, moist British dessert featuring a dense date cake soaked in a warm, creamy butterscotch sauce. This easy-to-make recipe delivers restaurant-quality results with simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (225g) pitted Medjool dates
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter (for sauce)
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar (for sauce)
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream (for sauce)
- ½ teaspoon salt (for sauce)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, for sauce)
Instructions
- Chop dates roughly and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over them and sprinkle in baking soda. Let sit for 10 minutes until dates soften and mixture becomes a thick slurry.
- Blend the date mixture until completely smooth. Add melted butter, egg, vanilla, and salt, then blend again until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and brown sugar.
- Pour the date mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan and pour in the batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake bakes, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir for 2 minutes. Carefully pour in heavy cream and stir constantly until the sauce thickens and comes to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Poke holes all over the top with a skewer. Pour half the warm sauce over the cake and let it absorb for 5 minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve warm with the remaining sauce drizzled on top, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Ensure dates are fully soaked and blended for a smooth texture. Do not overmix the batter to avoid a tough cake. The sauce can be made ahead and reheated. Leftovers improve overnight as the cake absorbs more sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 52
- Sodium: 280
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 65
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 5
Keywords: sticky toffee pudding, British dessert, date cake, butterscotch sauce, comfort food, easy dessert, restaurant style