Double Date Cake With Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce
Double Date Cake With Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce
The bold flavors in this incredible date cake will add a nice contrast to the traditional treats served on your holiday dessert table. This recipe by JeanMarie Brownson was originally published in the Chicago Tribune
Prep Time
30
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
12
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup diced dates with oat flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoon cacao nibs or small bits of dark chocolate, optional
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (8 ounces) whole pitted dates, about 1 ¾ cups
- 2 tablespoon rye whiskey or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 1/2 sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- powdered sugar, optional
- 1 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dark agave syrup
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
- 1/4 cup rye whiskey
Directions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
- For the topping, mix diced dates, walnuts and cacao nibs in a small bowl.
- Set aside.
- Mix flours, baking soda, spice blend, ginger and salt in a separate bowl.
- Put pitted dates, whiskey and espresso powder in a heat-proof bowl.
- Add 1 cup boiling water and let stand until dates are super soft, about 10 minutes.
- Pour date-whiskey mixture into a food processor; process to a smooth puree.
- Let stand to thicken, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put butter into a large bowl of an electric mixer.
- Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes total.
- Add half of the flour mixture and all of the date-whiskey puree.
- Beat to combine.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just enough to combine.
- Do not over-mix.
- Scrap the batter into the prepared pan.
- Smooth the top.
- Sprinkle the reserved diced-dates-and-walnuts mixture evenly over the batter.
- Bake until cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan and a wooden pick inserted in several places comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour.
- Remove the sides of the springform.
- Cut cake into wedges to serve.
- Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar, if desired.
- Drizzle with the whiskey butterscotch sauce.
- Put sugar, syrup, butter, salt and ¼ cup water into a medium-size deep saucepan.
- Heat to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and let simmer, 2 minutes.
- Uncover the pan.
- Add cream and continue to simmer on low, stirring often, until sauce is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in whiskey, and cook 1 minute.
- Remove from heat.
- Allow sauce to cool at room temperature.
- Transfer to jars or microwave-safe container.
- Sauce will keep for up to one month in the refrigerator.
- Microwave on medium (50 percent power) to warm the sauce.
- Serve warm.