From Christina’s Cucina blog; a riff on the Epicurious recipe but an amazing version! LOTS of caramel, super moist.
Ingredients: [‘dates’, ‘hot water’, ‘butter’, ‘light brown sugar’, ‘eggs’, ‘flour’, ‘baking powder’, ‘instant coffee granules’, ‘baking soda’, ‘whipping cream’, ‘dark brown sugar’, ‘butter’]
Quantity of Ingredients: [“”,”8 ounces dates, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups packed)”,”1 cup hot water”,”1/2 cup butter, room temperature “,”1 cup light brown sugar, packed “,”4 large eggs”,”1 3/4 cups flour”,”1/2 teaspoon baking powder”,”2 tablespoons instant coffee granules”,”1 teaspoon baking soda”,””,”2 cups whipping cream”,”1 cup packed dark brown sugar”,”1/4 cup butter”]
Number of Servings: 9
Steps: [‘Preheat oven to 350°F Butter 8-inch-square pan (preferably a glass pan; not dark.) Mix flour and baking powder and set aside. Place chopped dates in small microwavable bowl. Pour 1 cup hot water over dates and microwave for 2 minutes, then 30 second intervals until they are mushy and jammy. Set aside to cool.’, ‘Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend; scrape bowl down often with a rubber spatula.’, ‘Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the bowl.’, ‘Add half of flour and baking powder and beat to blend.’, ‘Add remaining 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition.’, ‘Continue scraping down sides of bowl, often.’, ‘Add remaining flour and beat until blended.’, ‘Combine instant coffee and baking soda in small bowl. Pour into date mixture, stirring to dissolve coffee granules. It will froth slightly.’, ‘Add date mixture to batter and beat to blend.’, ‘Pour batter into prepared pan. Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour.’, ‘Let the cake cool in the pan. After it has cooled, poke holes all over the cake with a skewer or toothpick.’, ‘To make caramel sauce, bring cream, brown sugar and butter to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.’, ‘Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer sauce until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When cake is cool and caramel sauce is still warm, but not too hot, pour the sauce over the cake.’, “Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, without covering. After an hour or so, when the sauce has become firm, cover the dessert with cling film (once cool the plastic won’t stick to it.).”, ‘When serving, cut a piece and heat in microwave until the caramel melts; the dessert should be hot and steaming. Serve with freshly whipped cream.’]