Date molasses and spice cake
Like having a Little Black Dress in your wardrobe, every baking repertoire needs an easy, gingery, spicy cake recipe in the mix. (Well, we think it does anyway, and what we say goes. We’re not running a benevolent dictatorship here). A spice cake is lovely when the weather turns a bit crisper; those flavours are warming, comforting and generally ones that everyone loves. And they’re killer with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast; take our word on this. In this version, that dried spicy tang of cinnamon and whatnot is rounded out with date molasses; oftentimes, it’s cane sugar molasses or treacle that are used to sweeten this type of cake and these are great, but they have rather strong flavours. They can take over. Date molasses on the other hand is gorgeously mellow and rich (read our latest Pantry Diving column to find out more about it) and it’s our most recent discovery. As we’re learning, there are just so many ways you can use it – and don’t our families currently know that. “Not DATE MOLASSES on the ice cream again!” “You put date molasses in that rice pilaf for the fish? (and why are we even eating FISH??)” “Do we detect date molasses in this vinaigrette?” “Why do the roast Brussel’s sprouts suddenly taste palatable? Oh. Yeah. Date molasses.” In our households even the ingrates are catching on that date syrup is the answer to almost everything. It even makes turnips taste magical to those who don’t normally touch them. Which is arguably most people.
We’re late adopters and are wondering where this stuff has been all our lives… sustaining most of the Middle East and North Africa is the answer to that rhetorical gambit. We can’t get enough of it. We even have a cookbook devoted to date molasses called “A House With A Date Palm Will Never Starve” by Michael Rakowitz and Friends. The title is based on a Mesopotamian proverb and references not just the molasses, but the way the palm wood, leaves and the dates themselves are all useful for sustaining a household. Don’t you wish you had a date palm dropping branches everywhere in your backyard? We do. But instead we’ll just make do with cake. And date molasses on, in and over just about everything, as we work through this obsessive phase. It too shall pass but one thing is for sure, date molasses is now a firm pantry staple.
MAKES 1 x 23cm cake
175g unsalted butter, chopped
320g (1 cup) date molasses
150g brown sugar
50g caster sugar
400g (3⅓ cups) plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
1½ tbsp cocoa
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
250ml (1 cup) milk
Cream cheese icing
150g cream cheese, at room temperature
90g unsalted butter, softened
310g (2½ cups) icing sugar, sifted
4½ tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
sliced crystallised ginger, to decorate (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and flour a 23cm springform pan, then line the base with baking paper.
Combine the butter, date molasses and sugars in a medium saucepan, then place over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, heat for about 5 minutes or until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool.
Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, baking soda, spices and cocoa into a large bowl, then whisk to combine well.
Add the vanilla, eggs, and milk to the melted butter mixture in the pan, then whisk until smooth. Whisking constantly, slowly add the butter mixture to the flour mixture in the bowl, then whisk until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then bake for 60-70 minutes or until a cake tester withdraws clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For the icing, use electric beaters to beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. With the motor on low, slowly add the icing sugar and cornflour until well combined and the mixture is thick and smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Spread the mixture over the cake, then decorate with sliced crystallised ginger, if using.