My Sticky Date Cake recipe is rich with caramel sauce, a very moist crumb, and simple to make. This cake is ideal for making in advance, and a favorite for special celebrations. Just the best cake that everyone loves (don’t tell them it has dates!!).

Remember the poke-and-pour cakes of another era, using colorful gelatin and white cake? We’re poking and pouring here too, but with a brown sugar caramel that echoes the flavors of the moist date cake it infuses. Even the wariest of date-eaters will spoon this cake up with abandon! I developed this recipe for my first cookbook (page 154) and thought it time to bring it to the web site as well because it’s such a special favorite here.

Why I love this recipe

Several reasons I love this recipe: luscious dates, which equal caramel flavor and a moist cake, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. The recipe calls for simple ingredients but yields an incredibly unique and lush result. Plus the most important flavor that sets my recipe apart: orange blossom water in the caramel sauce. Orange blossom water is one of my favorite flavorings (I love it in my mamoul recipe), but paired with caramel, it’s heaven! There’s no going back from this next level goodness. You’ll want orange blossom water in all of your recipes that include a caramel flavor, forever more….

What is date cake?

Date cake is one of those surprising recipes that is nothing like the name may suggest, especially to people who may think they don’t like dates! I think of dates on their own and in any recipe that includes them as a way for natural caramel-like, brown sugar-like, toffee-like flavor to come alive. The look of this cake suggests a cake with warm spices, with its deep brown hue and incredibly moist crumb. Those cakes are often loaf cakes such as date walnut cake. But there is no spice flavor in my recipe at all; this is in the family of sticky toffee pudding. The flavor profile is caramel, brown sugar, toffee and we get there with the natural sweetness of dates, brown sugar, and just a few other basic ingredients. Finish by serving each piece with a drizzle of toffee sauce and dollop of whipped cream, and your eaters will swoon.

Ingredients for date cake

For the cake:

Butter

Chopped Pitted Dates. Get a 12 oz. package of pitted medjools available in most grocery stores in the produce section.

Baking soda, which lightens the cake batter and contributes to the cake’s light, moist crumb.

Salt

Brown sugar. My recipe calls for light brown sugar, but you can’t go wrong with dark brown sugar as an alternative. Don’t substitute granulated sugar–we need this one for flavor and moisture.

Eggs

Vanilla extract

All Purpose Flour, baking powder

For the caramel sauce:

More butter

Salt

Heavy Whipping Cream (don’t substitute lighter creams here)

Brown sugar

Orange Blossom Water. This is the game-changing flavor that is unique to my recipe, a glorious compliment to caramel always.

For the whipped cream:

Heavy whipping cream, cold for better loft when whipping

Granulated sugar

What kind of dates are best for baking?

Dates are an important part of Middle Eastern eating: we nibble them as is, fill them with nuts or cheese, or bake with them. The natural rich sweetness and soft texture make dates very versatile in baking. They break down easily in hot water, which is key in cake batters like sticky date cake. 

There are many varieties of dates, but the most ubiquitous (thank you Nature’s Delight!) are medjool dates. Find them in the grocery store in the produce section, near other dried fruit and nuts. 

The other commonly available date is the Deglet Noor. These dates are not as sweet, soft, or rich as Medjool dates, but a decent substitute if you can’t find Medjools. 

How to make sticky date cake

Make the Cake:

Prepare the pan. Be sure to coat the pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper, then coat that with butter too. This will ensure the cake will easily release from the pan. 

Cook the dates. The dates soften, break down into date puree, and become a cohesive part of the batter. First cook them with boiling water. Add the baking soda once the dates become a paste.

Make the cake batter. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the date mixture and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients just until it’s mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread the date cake batter evenly.

Bake the cake at 350°F for about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce glaze.

Make the Caramel Sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.

Add salt, cream, brown sugar, and orange blossom water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Keep the sauce warm to glaze the cake.

Glaze the Cake:

While the cake is still hot from the oven (and still in the pan), poke it all over with a toothpick or skewer. Be sure to poke all the way out to the edges and into the center.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of the caramel sauce over the top of the cake, spreading it to allow it to seep into the holes. Repeat this, then allow the cake to rest for 15 minutes.

Turn the cake out onto a platter. Poke the top (which was the bottom in the pan) with a toothpick or skewer all the way out to the edges. Spoon and spread the caramel sauce the same as you did on the other side, using a few tablespoons total. Set aside the remaining caramel for serving with the cake. Serve with a cup of coffee or a cup of tea to balance the sweetness of the cake.

Variations for date cake

Add-ins for different flavor combinations are delicious with this cake. 

For a nutty take, add ¾  cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter at the end of mixing. 

For chocolate date cake, stir in ¾ cup chocolate chips at the end of mixing the batter. 

Coconut makes another delicious addition; add ¾ cup desiccated coconut to the batter at the end of mixing.

Serve Sticky Date Cake with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla or caramel ice cream.

Make ahead and Storage

This is the ideal make-ahead cake because it stays moist and delicious for at least a full day before serving. Refrigerate, uncovered to avoid marring the beautiful glazed top surface, and bring the cake to room temperature before serving. 

Store sticky date cake at room temperature for up to 4 days (isn’t that something?!). Store the caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat the sauce in the microwave or over low heat just before serving.

You can freeze sticky date cake, wrapped in plastic and then in an airtight container or in foil, but the look of the glazed top may not appear as lovely as it does fresh. 

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