SERVES 8–10 SQUIDGY DATE CAKE
This cake keeps well and is a versatile tea and pudding cake. It is wonderful with ice cream and maybe some slices of glazed ginger or with grilled or poached fruit and cream.
• a little butter
• 230g pitted dates
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 225ml very hot water
• 150g (¾ cup) sugar
• 1 large egg + ½ large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 135g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ginger/vanilla ice cream for serving
FOR THE WHISKY SAUCE
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1½ cups dark brown sugar
• 1 cup cream
• 1½ tbsp whisky
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and butter a deep-sided round cake tin (25cm diameter, 8cm deep). In a bowl, combine the dates and the baking soda. Pour the hot water over the dates and mix with a fork until they have mostly dissolved and are pulpy, about 5 minutes.
2. In the mixing bowl of your standing mixer, whisk the sugar, egg and egg yolk until the mixture is pale yellow. Stir in the date mixture and beat well. Add the vanilla essence.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold the flour into the date mixture until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared dish; bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35–40 minutes. Leave the cake in the pan for about 40 minutes before serving.
4. Now you can make the whisky
sauce. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, gradually add the cream, pouring in a steady stream while whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the whisky.
5. If you want to serve this cake warm, pierce the cake all over at least 20 times with the skewer. You are creating channels for the marvellous sauce to penetrate the cake, so don’t be shy! Pour the warm sauce slowly and carefully over the cake, using your skewer to open up the holes a little to facilitate the soaking process. Reserve a few tablespoons of the sauce to spoon over the sliced cake. Serve with ginger or vanilla ice cream.