Date Syrup Cake

This date syrup cake makes for a stunning and delicious dessert! It's almost identical in taste to classic English sticky toffee pudding, but using date syrup instead of whole dates makes for an all around quicker and easier recipe. It's an unbelievably flavorful and fluffy cake that's topped with a rich, gooey, and sticky caramel glaze!

wait... is this recipe different?

Yes! Thanks for noticing 😜 I've made this cake A LOT throughout the years and decided to have a go at trying to make it easier to make and just all around better. And this version is a true winner! Some notable changes include:

• Spices and baking soda - I've added some spices to boost the flavor of the cake and also removed the baking powder and upped the baking soda. Using both baking powder and soda was unnecessary in the new recipe, so switching to just one helped simplify the list of ingredients. Some lovely readers pointed out that they wished there was more warm and cozy flavor - so that's where the cinnamon and nutmeg come in!
• No more butter - Switching to an all oil cake makes the process of mixing the batter much easier (since you don't have to cream together butter and sugar anymore). The butter also didn't do a whole lot in terms of flavor - so you really can't tell that it's gone. As an added bonus, oil remains liquid at room temperature so that means the cake comes out extra soft and spongy.
• Boiling water - Finally, this was the true gamechanger for this recipe! We're using a bit of boiling water in the cake batter which is a trick I'm borrowing from classic chocolate cake. Boiling water helps "bloom" the spices and the date syrup which boosts the flavor, it breaks down undissolved sugar making for a smoother cake texture, and it gives the baking soda a little head start in activating. Overall, it makes for a cake that has a better texture and flavor!

Did you love the old recipe? Don't worry! It's still here - you can find it right below the new recipe!

what is date syrup cake?

Another recipe idea brought to you by a wonderful suggestion from a lovely person on Instagram!

This date syrup cake is basically sticky toffee pudding's not-so-evil twin that's quicker and easier to make than the classic English dessert! It tastes almost identical to the classic version, but instead of using fresh dates, we're using date syrup. The cake is topped with a simple 3 ingredient icing that also resembles the sticky toffee sauce that you would find drizzled on top of classic sticky toffee pudding.

what is sticky toffee pudding?

I mentioned above that this cake is VERY reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding! If you're not familiar with sticky toffee pudding (also called STP), let's do a quick introduction.

STP is an ultra moist cake made with sweet dates and drizzled with a gooey toffee sauce. It is NOT a diet friendly food, but it IS so. so. good!

This version has about the same flavor going on as a classic STP, but instead of chopped dates, we're using date syrup in the cake. And instead of topping the cake with a toffee sauce, we're topping it with a caramel glaze.

how to make date syrup cake

This date syrup cake is SO easy to make. Here's a quick look at exactly how this cake comes together:

1. Whisk together dry ingredients - This helps evenly distribute everything. When measuring your flour, make sure you either use a food scale to weigh it or use a spoon to lightly scoop the flour into a measuring cup. Never scoop the measuring cup directly into the bag of flour or this can pack it in and leave you with more weight per cup.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients - Essentially all the remaining wet ingredients (except for the boiling water) are whisked together to combine.
3. Alternate wet, dry, and water - Here's where the magic happens! About half of the dry ingredients are whisked into the wet ingredients followed by the boiling hot water and then finally the remaining dry ingredients. If you try to mix everything together all at once, you'll have a harder time properly mixing the batter - which opens the door for either overmixing or pockets of wet or dry ingredients.
4. Pour & bake - Finally, once the batter is ready, it's poured into a Bundt pan and baked until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs (but no wet batter). Make sure to turn the cake onto a wire rack while it's still hot otherwise it can stick to the Bundt pan!

icing date syrup cake

I could honestly bottle and drink this icing. It's SO good.

It's made with just powdered sugar, caramel (homemade or store-bought both work!), salt, and water. It tastes so much like a classic sticky toffee pudding sauce and pairs SO well with the date cake.

You can customize how thick or thin the icing is - simply add more water for a thinner glaze. Keep in mind that the icing will melt slightly after hitting the cake - so make it just a bit thicker than what you'd like it at. Also, if you do decide to make the icing thinner, I'd recommend placing your cake on a plate with a slight lip before icing so it can catch any runway glaze.

When it comes to icing the cake, it's best to do so after it's cooled slightly but is still warm. If the cake is too hot, the icing will melt and won't really stick to the outside of cake. If the cake is too cool, it's not the end of the world, but you won't get that same sticky, soft outer layer that (I think) really makes this cake special!

where can you find date syrup?

Date syrup is available in most grocery stores. I usually grab mine from the specialty section where they keep the organic stuff. You can also find it online on Amazon.

When shopping for date syrup, it's important that you get a bottle that ONLY lists dates as an ingredient. Any additional ingredients can throw off the taste, texture, or sweetness of the cake.

If you really can't find date syrup, honey also works in its place! The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.

serving date syrup cake

I personally find this cake is best served slightly warm. It make the sauce extra sticky and gooey and the cake will be extra soft and fluffy. If you do need to wait a bit, this cake is still delicious at room temperature. I just wouldn't serve it cold from the fridge otherwise the icing won't be quite as sticky.

date syrup cake storage

Store your cake in an airtight container and it will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature or about 1 week in the fridge.

The caramel topping is QUITE sticky (which is a blessing and a curse in this case!) On the one hand, it's deliciously gooey. On the other hand, storage can be a bit tricky. Best case scenario is you'll use a cake server with a lid so nothing is touching the glaze.

But it's not really a common household item (I mean, you see how many cakes I make? I don't even own one! I really should get one though...) So another option is to find a bowl that's large enough to sit inverted over the cake.

If all fails, it's really not the end of the world if you cover it with plastic wrap touching the cake and the glaze. But be emotionally prepared to have it stick and not really look the same as you left it!

But this cake was gone in a flash, so storage wasn't much of an issue with us lol

check out these other recipes!

• Caramel Cheesecake
• Turtles Brownies
• Pecan Pie Cupcakes
• MOIST Maple Cake
• Cozy Spice Cake
• Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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original recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the date syrup cake:

• 2 & ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick / 115g) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
• ¼ cup (60mL) vegetable oil (or any other neutral flavored oil)
• ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (180mL) date syrup
• ¾ cup (180g) sour cream

For the caramel glaze:

• ½ cup (120mL) caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought both work fine)
• 1 cup (130g) powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• milk or heavy cream, (as needed to thin the glaze)
• chopped pecans (optional - for topping)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 inch Bundt pan with vegetable oil or butter, and set aside.
2. Make the date syrup cake: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine, and set aside to prep the wet ingredients.
3. In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment, or a whisk by hand, cream together until relatively smooth and pale in color. The mixture will still be grainy, but you shouldn't see any visible clumps of butter. This will take about 30 seconds with an electric mixer set on medium speed, or 1 minute by hand.
4. Whisk eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until fully combined. Whisk in vanilla extract and date syrup until fully incorporated.
5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and sour cream to the wet ingredients. Start by mixing in about half of the dry ingredients until combined. It's ok if there are a few streaks of flour in the batter at this point. Add in sour cream and whisk until combined. Finish by adding in the remaining dry ingredients, and mix until just combined and there aren't any visible streaks of flour. Take care not to over mix! The batter should be a bit clumpy.
6. Pour the batter into your greased Bundt pan. Use a spoon or spatula to smoothen the top into an even layer.
7. Bake the date syrup cake in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean of batter. If you find the cake is browning too quickly, loosely tent the top with aluminum foil to finish cooking the cake through the center.
8. Cool the cake for about 15 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely to room temperature.
9. Make the caramel glaze: In a medium bowl, combine caramel sauce and powdered sugar. Whisk together until smooth and pourable. If the glaze is too thick, gradually whisk in some milk or heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
10. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and sprinkle chopped pecans over top. Slice and serve!

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