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Tall brown cake sitting on white cake plate with cranberries sprinkled around all on white surface with oven and cabinetry in background
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4.50 from 8 votes

Sticky Date Cake

If you're looking for a decadent cake for a special occasion, this is the one! This sticky date pecan cake has echos of an old-style recipe with just the right amount of sweetness!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Intermediate
Method: Baking
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Kaleb

Ingredients

For the cakes

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup chopped dates
  • ¾ cup toasted chopped pecans

For the sauce

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons cognac
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest

Instructions

For the cakes

  • Preheat the oven for 350°F.
  • Spread pecans on a baking sheet in an even layer. Toast in oven until fragrant, 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, and chop coarsely. Set aside.
    ¾ cup toasted chopped pecans
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, 3-5 minutes.
    8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • Mix in the eggs until well combined.
    2 large eggs
  • Add the applesauce and vanilla. Scrape the bowl and mix to make sure everything is incorporated.
    2 cups applesauce, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Sift together the dry ingredients and mix them, adding all at once. Mix until no dry streaks remain, 1 minute.
    2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 2 teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Chop the dates. To decrease the stickiness of the dates, freeze them ahead of time. Additionally, greasing a knife blade can help assist the chopping of the date.
    1 cup chopped dates
  • Add the dates and pecans, mixing to incorporate.
  • Grease one 10-cup Bundt pan or eight 6-ounce ramekins. Scoop batter into the pan and bake in the preheated oven until set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 45-60 minutes (or 20-25 minutes if using individual ramekins).

For the sauce

  • In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, and orange juice. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
    1 cup dark brown sugar, ½ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • Remove from heat and add butter, cognac, vanilla, salt, and zest. Stir to melt butter.
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons cognac, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Poke holes in the cake and slowly pour the sauce over the warm cake. Allow the liquid to soak in and continue to pour until all sauce has been used.
  • Serve immediately. Add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to each slice of cake.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1cake | Calories: 339kcal