Date Cake w/Caramel Sauce

By LisaMK

This recipe is from Food And Wine, January issue 2013.It's a great cake that is not too sweet. Great with coffee and an afternoon luncheon. Moroccan

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 12 oz pitted plump Medjool dates
• 2 tbs dark rum
• 2 tbs brewed espresso
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Caramel:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs heavy cream

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 105mins

Preparation

Step 1

Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 by 3 inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, cover the dates with rum, espresso and water and heat at high power of 2 mins. Transfer to food processor and let stand until the dates are softened. Puree until smooth.
2. In a bowl, whisk both flours with baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In another bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs until incorporated, then beat in date puree. Add dry ingredients all at once and beat at low-speed until incorporated.
3. Scrape butter into prepared pan and bake in center of oven for 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool for 15 minutes, then invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Caramel:
4. In medium saucepan, simmer sugar and water over moderate heat until deep amber caramel forms, about 6 mins. Remove from heat and add cream. Cook over low heat, stirring, until hardened caramel is dissolved.
5. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with caramel sauce.