A sticky date and pecan cake from above, with pink flowers and dates

Cakes & Cupcakes

Sticky Date & Pecan Cake

A sticky date and pecan cake, somewhere between a pecan nut pie and a sticky toffee pudding.

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The date and pecan cake on a white cake stand, with pink flowers and dates Close-up of caramelised pecans and piped cream on the cake

I knew that I needed to include a recipe in my Eid series which heroes the date. It's an essential part of Ramadan, and from my research, many people eat this fruit to break their fast.

Think sticky toffee pudding meets pecan nut pie. This cake has a slightly denser crumb, but is wonderfully balanced with a dollop of whipped cream and the sticky date crown. There is a bit of coffee in the cake – you don't explicitly taste it, but it does bring out the other flavours, which it complements.

The cake with a slice cut out, showing its sticky date crumb A slice of date and pecan cake with cream on a gold plate

The recipe

Sticky Date & Pecan Cake

adventureswithsugar.com/sticky-date-pecan-cake/

Method

Method: pecan crumble

  1. Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Place the pecans on a baking tray and roast for 5 – 8 minutes until toasty and fragrant.
  2. Chop the pecans: Once the pecans have cooled slightly, chop them fairly finely.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients: To the pecans, add the caster sugar, muscovado sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and set aside.

Method: sticky date and pecan cake

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin with baking paper.
  2. Prepare the upside-down layer: Mix 50g of muscovado sugar and 2 tablespoons of liquid coffee together and spread on the bottom of the tin. Halve the dates, removing the pit, and pack them into a tight spiral on the base of the tin, cut side down. Make sure there are no gaps between the dates.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar: Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, light and voluminous.
  4. Add eggs to the butter mixture: Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating the first before adding the second. Beat for about 30 seconds, then add in the vanilla.
  5. Sift all the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.
  6. Prepare the wet ingredients: Combine the coffee-milk mixture and the sour cream together.
  7. Mix all the ingredients: Add a third of the dry ingredients to the egg butter mixture and beat until combined. Next add in half the wet ingredients, followed by another third of the dry ingredients. Repeat with the other half of the wet ingredients and finally the remaining dry.
  8. Add the batter to the tin: Add half the batter over the layer of dates and smooth it in the tin. Sprinkle the pecan crumble over the batter, pressing it in slightly. Top with the remaining batter and smooth out.
  9. Bake the cake: Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before turning it out, or the date layer will fall apart.
  10. Decorate the cake: Decorate with freshly whipped cream and pecan halves, followed by more whipped cream to serve.
A slice of cake on a gold plate in front of the cake stand The cut cake, showing the layer of pecans on top

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com

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