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.

Notes about the Ingredients

For the cake:

Butter enriches this cake really well; you can use any type of butter. Sometimes I insist on European or cultured butter for my recipes, but here there is flexibility.

Dates, of course, are key! Buy medjool dates for the best flavor and texture. They’re available in most grocery stores in the produce section. Buy them pitted if you can but if not, they are easy to pit by just pulling the dates apart and removing the pit.

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

Brown sugar is a date’s best friend! 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 brown sugar here for flavor and moisture.

For the caramel sauce:

Heavy Whipping Cream and brown sugar form the sauce. Don’t substitute lighter cream, such as half and half, here. Don’t change out the sugar for granulated or confectioners’ sugar, either.

Orange Blossom Water. This is the game-changing flavor that is unique to my recipe! It is a glorious compliment to caramel always. Learn more about this beautiful ingredient in my post about Orange blossom water.

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. 

Tips and Variations

When preparing 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. 

You’ll make the caramel sauce while the cake bakes and it should be kept warm to more easily glaze the cake.

Keep a toothpick or even better, a skewer, handy for poking the cake all over, which helps it absorb the caramel sauce.

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. And a cup of coffee of course!

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. 

FAQs

More Cake Recipes You’ll Love

Olive Oil Cake is a simple cake with a light flavor.

Lemon Bundt Cake with Raspberry Rose Glaze is gorgeous and bright.

Apricot Upside-Down Cake is a family favorite especially in the summer up north in Michigan.

Try my warm spice Cardamom Cake recipe that is incredibly moist and wonderful for brunch!!

More Date Recipes You’ll Love

Sitto’s Date Ma’moul fills the shortbread cookie with a wonderful date filling.

Date-filled Ka’ak is the bread-like version of ka’ak with a date filling.

My Date Nut Bread Recipe is so simple, humble, and wonderful to bake and share.