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This dish is always the perfect ending to an already great meal. I would love to have the secret to making it.— CHIP HARPER, CHICAGO, IL
Ingredients
- *For the cake:
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 1/4 ounces pitted dates
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces unsalted butter,
- softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- *For the toffee sauce:
- 9 ounces butter
- 7 ounces light brown sugar
- *For assembly:
- Vanilla Ice Cream
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil, and whisk in baking soda.
- Pour over dates in a bowl, then wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Blend the mixture in a food processor to a slightly chunky puree.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Sift and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl with each addition. Alternate adding the dry ingredients to the butter/egg mixture with the date puree and vanilla.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish mixing by hand, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Mix just until smooth and homogenous.
- Pour or scoop batter into nonstick cupcake molds to 2/3 full.
- Bake at 350 F for 15-25 minutes (checking every 5 minutes), until well browned and springy to the touch.
- Unmold and let cool on wire rack.
- THE SAUCE: Combine all ingredients in a large pot, having already split the vanilla bean and scraped the seeds from it into the pot. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook the sauce for 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer. Pour the sauce into soufflé ramekins (or coffee mugs, or any other microwaveable container large enough to hold the date cakes), using approximately 1/4 cup of sauce on each. Place a date cake in the sauce. Pour another 1/4 cup sauce on top of the date cake. Wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate cakes until ready to serve, then microwave individual cakes while still wrapped in plastic for 1 minute. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
