Sticky Date & Ginger Cake with Salted Caramel

The warmth of the ginger and the salt of the caramel keeps the sweetness of the dates in check. Winter comfort like no other. If you don’t like ginger, feel free to leave it out, or replace it with any spices you prefer instead.

You can use a bundt tin for a simple affair or divide the batter among two round tins for a showstopping layered cake. You can use salted butter for the caramel, just omit the additional salt in the recipe.

Enough for a tall four layered 13cm round cake or a large bundt tin (serves 12 - 16)

STICKY DATE & GINGER CAKE BATTER

pitted dates, 250g

boiling water, 375ml (1 + 1/2 cup)

bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

unsalted butter, 100g

brown sugar, 165g (about 185ml or 3/4 cup)

ground ginger, 20ml (4 teaspoons) - optional

eggs, 3

self-raising flour, 225g (375ml or 1 + 1/2 cup)

SALTED CARAMEL

caster sugar, 100g (125ml or 1/2 cup)

cream, 125ml (1/2 cup)

unsalted butter, 30g (30ml or 2 tablespoons)

coarse sea salt, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon)

To start, finely chop the dates, then place them in a large heatproof bowl. 

Add the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water and leave the dates to soften for a couple of minutes.

For a finer textured cake, you can blitz the softened dates along with the liquid in a food processor.

Grease a large bundt tin or line the bottom and sides of two round cake tins with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).

Melt the butter, then add it along with all the other cake ingredients (except for the self-raising flour) to the date mixture. Whisk to combine.

Add the self-raising flour and whisk until uniform (the mixture will be fairly runny).

Pour the mixture into the greased bundt tin or divide the batter between the two lined round tins.

Bake for approximately 30 - 45 minutes (depending on your size of tin/s) or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake/s comes out fairly clean (this cake is deliciously moist, so a little bit of cake sticking to the skewer is just about right, as long as it is not raw cake batter).

Once baked, remove the tin/s from the oven turn out the cake/s onto a cooling rack.

Leave to cool covered with a clean tea towel to prevent moisture from evaporating.

To make the salted caramel, place the cream, butter and salt in a small saucepan over a medium heat until all the butter has melted (or in a heatproof bowl in the microwave).

Place the caster sugar in a large pan over a medium heat.  Cook without stirring until the sugar turns a golden brown caramel colour (when the edges of the sugar start to caramelize, you can swirl the pan a little to help the caramel cook evenly).  Once the the caramel is a uniform golden brown colour, carefully add the cream-butter mixture (the caramel will bubble violently, so use the largest pan you have to avoid dangerous spills!).  Once the bubbling subsides a bit, whisk the caramel until smooth. 

Place a fine sieve over a heat proof bowl and pour the caramel through the sieve.  Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.

Once cool, drizzle the cake with caramel (and serve with ice cream) or layer the cake with brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream (recipe and method below).

BROWN SUGAR SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

egg whites, 100g (approximately 3 large egg whites)

brown sugar. 220g (250ml or 1 cup)

unsalted butter, 250g (at room temperature or softened)

To make the Swiss meringue buttercream, place the egg whites and brown sugar in a large heat proof mixing bowl (I use a stainless steel free standing mixer bowl) and set it over a medium saucepan of simmering water (making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl).

Whisk by hand for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved (you can test this by rubbing a bit of the mixture between your fingers - when ready, is should not feel grainy anymore) and the mixture feels warm to touch (about 65°C - 70°C on a thermometer if you are unsure).  Note: You are not trying to whip the meringue at this stage but instead just dissolve the sugar and cook the egg whites gently.

Remove from the heat and whisk on a high speed with electric beaters or an electric mixer until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

If the meringue still feels very warm, slow the mixer to a medium speed and whisk for a few minutes until the mixing bowl is cooler to touch (i.e. the meringue reaches room temperature).

Add the soft, room temperature butter and whisk on a high speed until smooth and glossy (at least 2 - 3 minutes).

(If after several minutes of mixing the mixture seems split, the butter might be too cold - warm the mixing bowl gently using a bain-marie then whisk again on a high speed.  If the buttercream looks very runny, the butter or the meringue might be too warm - cool the mixing bowl for a few minutes in the fridge, then whisk again on high).

To assemble the cake (easiest done with a cake turntable, but not essential):

For a four layered, 13cm round cake, divide each cake in two using a sharp bread knife.

Place the first cake layer on a cake board or serving plate.

Spread a tin layer of buttercream over the top, then pipe a buttercream border.
Spoon some cooled salted caramel in the center, then place the second cake layer on top.

Repeat the layering until all the cake layers have been added (finish with the last cake layer with the bottom facing upwards).

Using a spatula or knife, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of buttercream (this is the crumb coat to trap all the loose cake crumbs, so do not stress if there are a few crumbs visible in the icing).

Refrigerate the cake for about 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm.

Coat the top and sides of the cake for a second time (thin if you prefer the semi-naked finish or thicker if you want the cake completely covered).

For a sharp finish, use a dough/cake scraper to smooth the sides.  Flatten the top ridge by scraping with a spatula or scraper in an inward motion, then decorate.