Last updated on May 12th, 2021 at 10:09 am
Let's take an old favourite, the sticky date pudding, and turn it on its ear with a deliciously modern spin. This easy date cake combines those familiar pudding flavours and pairs them with a wicked salted caramel frosting. Balancing sweet dates with the salty caramel, this vegan sticky date cake is like a big kiss in the taste buds. Let the love begin.
Everyone should have an easy date pudding or cake recipe in their back pocket. It is the perfect dinner party dessert without all the fuss and fanfare and it's quick enough to throw together for a mid-week treat.
I know sticky date pudding has been around for ages and your Nan probably made it for you but I feel it in my waters...the date pudding is making a comeback.
Why We Love This Cake
I would never lie about cake. This one is a keeper. It's
- completely comforting
- easy to whip up for yourself or friends
- ready in the time it takes to shower, wash your hair and throw on your sweat pants (OK, maybe a long shower)
- perfect for any occasion
- so moist, light and wonderful and
- plant-based!
There is a reason the date pudding is still a favourite - those flavours are just so good.
So, what are we waiting for? Let's do this.
How to Make a Simple Sticky Date Cake
This is one of those recipes that is pretty much foolproof. If, like me, baking is not your second language, you can still master this cake. It's going to be moist and wonderful and that's because of the dates.
First, pit the dates and then pop them in a bowl of boiling water with a teaspoon of baking soda. Why? Well, I asked this myself and after some research found little to answer the question. However, the best answer seems to be that the dates are astringent and the baking soda neutralises them. Soaking them in baking soda also appears to enhance the flavour of the dates. Who knows but my Nan did it and I never liked to argue with my Nan.
Next, you pulse the dates and the water in to a loose sludge (sounds awesome, yes?) and stir in the oil, dairy-free milk, sugar and vanilla. Next add the wet ingredients to the dry - unbleached flour, a pinch of salt and baking powder - whisk to combine and pop the batter in to a lined cake pan. Bake low and slow for around 40 to 50 minutes and bingo. You're done.
The first few times I made this sticky date cake, I simply dusted it with powdered sugar and it was delicious. To vamp it up a little I have included the recipe for a salted caramel sauce to put in your salted caramel frosting (also in the recipe). I like simple but sometimes I need a little bling - my tahini caramel black bean brownies love their tahini caramel swirl and my oatmeal date and pecan cookies are naked without a dip of chocolate.
Simple and sweet or topped with a decadent frosting this sticky date cake is wonderfully moist, easy to make and keeps well. I think my Nan would approve.
Faqs
Can I make this cake gluten-free?
Yes, you can. You could use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or create your own gluten-free flour mix. My favourite gluten-free mix is over at my Coconut Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes with Banana recipe.
Can I make this cake ahead and freeze it?
Indeed! You can make the cake, freeze it and decorate it when you are ready to thaw and use it. Don't freeze the cake decorated.
How do I freeze a cake?
Step 1: Bake and completely cool the cake as per the recipe below.
Step 2: Once the cake cools completely, wrap it in cling wrap or Glad Press and Seal (available at Costco in Australia) making sure the cake is completely sealed from the freezer environment.
Step 3: Take a large piece of foil - around 2 and a ½ times the diameter length of the cake - sit the cake in the middle of the foil and fold the sides in to the middle. Fold the top and bottom ends of the foil in towards the cake to seal. Using a Sharpie write the type of cake and the date baked on the foil. Pop it in the freezer in a freezer-proof container or use two sheets of foil to protect it ensuring you have written on the outside layer.
Step 4: Freeze for up to 3 months.
Step 5: To thaw, remove the cake from the freezer the night before you intend to use it leaving the cake fully wrapped on the counter while it thaws.
Enjoy, x.
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If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook. Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family is full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.
Date Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 250 grams dates weighed before pitting | 12- 13 dates
- 1 cup / 250ml boiling water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour organic or unbleached if you can
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup raw sugar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup soy milk or almond milk
For the Sauce
- 400 ml full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup rapadura sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Frosting
- 3 cups confectioners sugar icing sugar
- 4 tablespoon vegan butter spread soften
- 2 tablespoon dairy-free milk
- ¼ cup salted caramel sauce
Toppings
- ⅓ cup flaked almonds optional
Instructions
For the Sticky Date Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (conventional) / 356°F or 160°C (fan-forced or convection) / 320°F
- Line a 22cm (9inch) round cake pan with baking paper.
- Remove the pits from the dates and pop them in a heatproof bowl with the boiling water and baking soda and stand for 5 minutes.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl
- After 5 minutes, pulse the dates a few times (6 or 7 quick pulses) with an emersion blender - if you don't have one, you can do this part in a regular blender. Add the vanilla, sugar, oil and milk and stir to combine (the oil won't completely combine - no matter).
- Stir the wet ingredients in to the flour until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter in to the prepared cake pan and pop in the pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the oven clean. At around the 30-minute mark when the top of the cake is set, I gently cover the top of the cake with foil to slow the browing process.
For the Sauce
- While the cake is baking, place the coconut milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Stir the mixture and bring it up to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
- When the sauce has thickened and is a lovely amber colour, stir in the vegan butter, the vanilla and sea salt. Remove from the heat to cool.
For the Frosting
- To make the frosting add the confectioners sugar, softened butter and milk in a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixture, whip to combine. When the frosting is thick and fluffy, add a ½ cup of the cooled salted caramel and whip again to combine.
- Add more confectioner's sugar if needed to make a thick frosting
To Assemble the Cake
- This cake is wonderful with a dusting of icing sugar BUT if we are going all out...
- Remove the cake from the oven and sit it for 10 minutes before removing it from the cake pan. Allow it to cool completely.
- When cool, slather the top with the salted caramel frosting and a sprinkling of flaked almonds. For added flair, you can swirl the remaining caramel sauce over the cake when serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Lilly says
Just tried this and it came out delish! Only thing I would recommend is baking for a little less than the recipe calls for, could be a problem with my oven but I only had it in for about 40 min total and it came out pretty dry. Flavor wise it was amazing though- will definitely be making this again!
Amanda says
Hi Lilly, thanks for the feedback. I will adjust the recipe to reflect a baking time range. That way, others can begin checking their cakes earlier. I am so glad you liked the flavour. Thanks again! x
Cristine says
Hi. Can I use date paste instead? What ratio would it be? Thank you
Amanda says
Hi Cristine,
Sorry I haven't tested this recipe with date paste and I would hate to guess and have it flop on you. A.
JANNY says
I made this half the amount to make a small loaf pudding on its own without the topping. I lined the base of the tin with extra dates and chopped walnuts.
It was divine. The dark gummy texture was perfect and the crust was just right ( I didn’t cover the top during baking as I like the crustiness). Thankyou this was an awesome dessert.
Sinead says
I made this and it was super dense and gummy (I mean, the taste was stellar, but the texture was not awesome). The only thing I can think of is that the kind of dates matter - depending on how dry the dates are to start, adding a cup of water will make it more or less watery? I'm pretty sure I followed the recipe (didn't forget baking soda or anything).
Amanda says
That's no good, Sinead. I am so disappointed for you. I've never come across it being gummy before - one reader made a dense cake but she didn't add the baking soda, as you said. OK, did you mix the batter until just combined? No more. Over mixing a cake can make it rubbery and gummy. Another thing to check is your baking powder. Is it fresh? - baking powder only has around a 3 month shelf life. I'd love to solve this for you.
Amanda says
Hi Sinead, I made the cake again this morning and it wasn't gummy but my friend and I talked through some possibilities. Definitely over-mixing could cause the cake to be rubbery, also snack dates work better than Medjool dates (unless your Medjool dates are a little dried out - that would be fine). Also, if your oven is too cool the cake won't achieve lift and will probably end up a bit gummy. Using an oven thermometer will help with this. I have a fan-forced oven and set it to 320 (160 C) correctly. Phew, I hope that helps. The cake is texturally different to a sponge style cake because of the dates - it should be a little heavier but not rubbery. Take care. A, x.
Sinead says
Wow. Thanks for all the ideas! I'll get new baking soda - that seems like the most likely culprit. I already use an oven thermometer and I'm pretty sure I didn't overmix - but I will be extra-vigilant with the mixing. I used dry-ish cooking dates (I can never bring myself to cook with Medjool dates - I just eat them straight up, or dipped in pb...). I probably won't be making this again for a while, as I seem to be on an unstoppable peanut butter cookie tear, but it's on my list for one of the many (many,many) birthday cakes I will make in May and June, so I'll certainly post again and let you know how it goes. By the way, I've tried a lot of your baking recipes. They're sooooo good (and held up very well to the covid-shortages-enforced creative substitutions I had to do last spring, when getting baking supplies in the UK was not easy, but baking was how I was maintaining some sanity, so I made it work with whatever I could get).
Amanda says
Peanut butter! You're a person after my own heart. I am addicted to the stuff. Ha! I have a stack of peanut butter recipes here - I can't help myself. Thanks so much for getting back to me and I am so happy you were able to continue your baking during lockdown. I am based in Melbourne and we were in lockdown for almost 6 months last year, all in. It is a challenge, for sure. Nice work on being so resourceful so you could keep on baking - it sounds like it's something you love. I am happy it brought you comfort. Take care, Sinead. And thanks again for reaching out. x
Sinead says
It worked! This is my new favourite cake! I think it was the baking soda, as that's the only change we made. We made the caramel sauce to go with it, but not the icing. I might have instead made a batch of fancy vanilla coconut milk ice cream, put no small amount of ice cream AND caramel on the cake, and then nearly put myself in a delicious, delicious sugar coma. Mmmmmmmmm....
Amanda says
Yes! That's so good to hear, Sinead. Phew! I am so glad it worked - I had a moment of doubt, not gonna lie. LOL. I am so glad you loved it and thanks so much for keeping me updated. x
Adam says
Let’s face it, everyone loves a sticky date, but of all the sticky dates I’ve had, this was the most delicious.
Nabila says
Thanks for the recipe! Made it last night as I had heaps of dates in the fridge. My cake came out dense - might be the fact that I didn’t have any baking soda on hand. I dusted some coconut sugar on top and it was divine.
Amanda says
Nabila! Thank so much for letting me know. I am glad you enjoyed it even without the baking soda. It will make the cake a little lighter for you next time. ;-). Take care, x
Anna says
Hi Amanda, thanks for sharing this recipe, the cake was lovely! I made it for my mum's birthday and it was a big hit. I substituted a quarter of the flour for wholemeal rye flour without any apparent harm. Thanks again, I'm really grateful to you ☺️
Amanda says
Oh, that's great Anna. I am so glad it all worked out and your family enjoyed it. Good to know about the rye flour - I might try that myself! 🙂
Cheers, A.
Sevenoaks Catering says
Hey Amanda thanks for sharing this delicious recipe of Sticky Date Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting. I will definitely try to make it and share my experience with you 🙂