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Date and Apple cake with caramel
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Date and Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Moist date cake layered with caramelized apples and a rich caramel sauce is the perfect cake for Fall!
Course Dessert
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 8 -9
Author Shinta

Ingredients

  • 300 grams white flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 100 grams butter at room temperature
  • 250 grams light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 100 ml sour cream
  • 150 ml full-fat milk
  • 60 grams dates seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of flour to coat the dates
  • For the caramel sauce:
  • 200 grams 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 70 grams butter
  • For the caramelized apples:
  • 2 large apples I recommend Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and diced
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar

Instructions

  • To make the cake layers, begin by preheating the oven to 180 C, or 350 F. Prepare 2 X 6 inch cake pans by brushing the insides well with butter and dusting the coated surface with flour. Tap off the excess flour.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Using a whisk, give it a good whisk, combining all the ingredients. Keep the bowl aside.
  • In a small bowl, add a teaspoon of flour to the chopped dates and toss until the dates are coated with the flour. Dust off excess flour. Keep aside.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the butter until pale and fluffy.
  • Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined.
  • Add the egg and sour cream, and beat again on medium speed.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, alternating with the milk.
  • On medium speed, mix the ingredients until they are just combined.
  • Finally, add the dates to the mixture, and mix again till just combined.
  • Do not over-mix.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pans, in even amounts.
  • Bake at 180 C for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  • While the cakes are baking, prepare the caramel sauce.
  • In a heavy sided pan, heat the sugar on medium heat, until it melts and turns a light amber. Be cautious because the sugar can burn very quickly and goes from melted to burnt carbon.
  • Lower the heat and add the butter and mix, the mixture will foam gently.
  • Add the cream and keep stirring, till the mixture is evenly combined and turn off the heat.
  • Let the caramel cool, it thickens as it cools.
  • To prepare the caramelized apples:
  • In a frying pan, add the butter and the apples and cook on high to medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the apples start to brown, add the cinnamon and sugar give it a stir.
  • Let the apples cook for another minute and turn off the heat.
  • To assemble, place a date cake layer on a serving plate or cake board.
  • Top with caramelized apples and spoon a little sauce over it. Place the next date cake layer and repeat. Spoon over more caramel over the top of the cake.

Notes

Always use room-temperature ingredients, including eggs, milk, cream, butter. Keep your ingredients out of the fridge at least an hour before baking.
Its best to use a weighing scale to measure ingredients, including when you measure out the batter for the pans to ensure the cake layers are nearly equal in size.
Coating the dates in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.
Over-mixing the batter will lead to gluten formation and the cake with be chewy and dense.
The caramel sauce will thicken as it hardens. When it is still fluid, spoon it over the cake and it will set as it cools.