Date Crumb Cake
Posted: | Categories: Recipes | Tags:cakes date caramel dessert
Date Crumb Cake
Melissa Ben-Ishay
Sweet Recipes
Date caramel is one of my favorite ways to naturally sweeten baked goods (like my zucchini & chocolate chip muffins!). We just got back from Israel, where dates grow all over the place on palm trees. I’ve been craving dates as sweet since we got back! I always have a batch of date caramel on hand for baking or my favorite cookie dough bars(recently, I’ve even been eating it on toast with cottage cheese), but this cake will undoubtedly become a new staple.
This recipe makes two cakes when baked in a 9x9 square pan. I opted to top one with the crumble (which I highly recommend if you aren't opposed to adding sugar!) and swirl date caramel over the top of the second to give a variety of dessert options. If you’re good with just one cake, split the recipe in half and choose how you want to finish it off. It’s the perfect Rosh Hashanah dessert or even just a mid-week fall treat!
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (or 1 can)
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 cups date caramel, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
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- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mace
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
Directions
Line two 9x9 square pans with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the eggs, pumpkin, olive oil, 1 1/4 cup date caramel, salt, vanilla, and honey to a large blender. Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a large bowl and stir in the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and flour, and mix until just combined and no streaks remain.
- Swirl in ⅓ cup more of date caramel into the batter, but don't fully blend it in. Some streaks should remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Add the remaining date caramel on top of both in teaspoon-size dollops and swirl with a knife.
- For one of them, make the crumble topping.
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and oil together until combined, adding more olive oil as needed until it has the consistency of wet sand and can hold its shape somewhat.
- Crumble the topping over the batter.
- Bake the cakes for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (and the kitchen smells like baking spices).
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the pan. Slice and serve at room temperature and keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
