Cinnamon Date Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with a little butter and dust with some flour.
• Cream sugar, butter, and oil together in a bowl until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
• Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl. Fold 1/3 of the flour mixture gently into the butter mixture with a spatula. Mix in 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat once more, then mix in remaining flour until just combined. Avoid overmixing. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees and butter an 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan.
• In a small pot, combine dates, lemon juice and 3/4 cup/180 milliliters water. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer gently until dates soften and start to fall apart, about 6 minutes. Add currants to the pot and set aside to cool completely.
• While date mixture cools, stir together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla and cooled date mixture, followed by flour mixture.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly and smoothing the surface. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
• Meanwhile, make the sticky toffee: In a small pot (you can use the same one you used for the dates), combine agave, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Once sugar dissolves and bubbles, remove from heat and swirl in butter.
• When the cake comes out of the oven, spoon half the sticky toffee over it and let cool in the pan on a wire rack. (It will soak into the cake.)
• When the cake has cooled completely and the remaining sticky toffee has thickened, spread it over the cake with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve. Store, loosely wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small saucepan, place dates and add water just to cover. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Drain dates and place in food processor. Blend until dates have a paste-like consistency.
• In a large bowl add all dry ingredients and mix gently with a fork. Add butter, eggs, and warm dates. Beat with hand mixer until all ingredients are thoroughly blended.
• Pour ingredients into a greased and lightly floured metal pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until inserted knife or skewer comes out clean.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Combine 1 cup flour with the water, sugar, eggs, yeast and half-and-half in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir on low speed until combined. Let stand, undisturbed, 2 minutes, then gradually stir in 2 cups flour on low speed.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment, set the machine to medium speed, and add as much of the remaining flour as necessary (an additional 2 to 3 cups) to make a dough that just cleans the side of the work bowl. Gradually add the butter and salt, then continue beating on medium speed until the butter is no longer visible, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the dough hook as necessary. Cover the finished dough with a clean towel, transfer it to a warm location and let it rest, allowing the dough to double in size, 1 to 2 hours. (You can also cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes before continuing.)
• While the dough rises, make the date paste: Add the dates, lemon juice and 1 cup/235 milliliters water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the dates are completely softened and the texture of applesauce, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the orange zest, cinnamon and cardamom. Transfer to a shallow bowl to cool.
• After dough has risen, remove the dish towel, punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Butter 2 9-inch cake pans. Using floured hands or a floured rolling pin, press or roll the dough flat and into a rectangular 15-by-10-inch shape. Use a spoon to spread the date mixture evenly over the dough, then roll the dough crosswise into a tight, 15-inch-long cylinder. Cut into 14 rolls (each a little wider than 1 inch) and transfer the rolls to the prepared cake pans, arranging 7 rolls in each pan so spirals are visible. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise a second time, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While the rolls are rising, heat oven to 350 degrees. Once the rolls have risen, bake until deeply golden-brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
• As rolls bake, make the caramel sauce: Add the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup/60 milliliters water to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high, undisturbed, until the sugar turns a light amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the butter until melted and incorporated, then whisk in the cream and sea salt. When the buns are done, drizzle the caramel sauce on top, saving a little sauce to brush on any remaining dry spots. Serve the buns warm.