Recipe: Red-Date Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

You know how super moist cake makes that irresistible faint qwish sound when you break it apart? That sound precedes the most delicious blissful bite of cake. This is what you get with Red-Date Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.

The secret to this bliss is the red dates – also known as jujubes. I had no idea jujubes was an actual fruit and not just the candy that sticks to your teeth. The red dates have a sweet-salty flavor almost like prunes but drier. The cake ends up with incredible texture and flavor with the Toffee Glaze poured over it. This one spoils you entirely and surpasses any other cake. You’re going to need several tall glasses of milk with this one.

Recipe Adapted From: Ian Knauer, Gourmet.com
Yield: 8 Servings
Time: Total 1-1/4 hour
Ingredients:
For Cake:
6 oz dried red dates (1 3/4 cups)
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Sticky Toffee Glaze:
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Make cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.

2. Simmer dates in water (1 3/4 cups) in a small heavy saucepan, covered, until soft, about 10 minutes. Let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes. Purée dates with cooking liquid in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Force purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and date purée. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.

5. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Make glaze while cake bakes:
1. Bring cream to a boil with butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 2-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, then boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

2. Pierce hot cake in pan all over at 1-inch intervals with a chopstick. Gradually pour half of warm glaze evenly over cake, then let stand until most has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

3. Run a thin knife around edge of pan. Invert cake onto a plate. Pour remaining warm sauce over cake and serve immediately.

Cooks’ notes:
- Dates can be cooked and puréed 1 day ahead and chilled.
- Glaze can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat before using.

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