Chocolate Date Cake With Chocolate Sticky Toffee Glaze Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-round cake pans or 20 muffin tins.
• Place the dates in large saucepan with 3 1/2 cups cold water. Bring to boil, stirring a little to break up the dates. Then leave to simmer for 1 minute before removing from the heat. Stir in the baking soda (which will cause the mixture to bubble up).
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a food mixer until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, occasionally scraping down mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and then the flour and salt and mix briefly to give a lumpy dough.
• Next, add the warm date mixture in two batches. Scrape down the sides of bowl in between mixing. The dough will now be quite watery but don't worry! Finally add the baking powder (this will bubble up also).
• Pour the batter evenly into the two pans or muffin tins. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes for cake pans and about 20 minutes for muffin tins. Test if they are cooked with a small knife or toothpick, it should come out clean when cakes are done.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer gently for a minute or two until thickened and well blended.
• When the cakes are done, poke little holes all over with toothpick, this will enable the sauce to be absorbed more easily. Pour the caramel sauce over cakes while both are still warm and leave to soak for about 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out upside-down onto serving plates (the bottom is the most sticky bit!).
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Steps:

• Make the chai ice cream, if desired: Combine milk, tea, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into the mixture using the back of a knife, then add pod to mixture and bring to a boil. Cover and let steep at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Prepare an ice bath. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. While whisking, slowly add a little of the warm milk mixture into the yolk mixture to temper. Continue this process until all of the milk mixture has been added. Pour mixture back into pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. The custard should retain a line drawn across the back of the spoon with your finger. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl set in the ice bath; discard solids. Add cream and stir occasionally until cooled. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions until set but not hard. Transfer soft ice cream to a container and freeze at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-cup Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder and flour, tapping out excess. In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl, combine dates, hot water, coffee, and cocoa and let stand 10 minutes. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Using an immersion blender, puree the date mixture until smooth. Add baking soda and stir to combine.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and dark-brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat well to combine (batter will look curdled). Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the date mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the chocolate.
• Transfer the batter to prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Bring butter, dark-brown sugar, date syrup, salt, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cream. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.
• Transfer cake pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, and let cool 20 minutes (the cake should still be warm). Poke cake all over with a skewer or toothpick. Pour half of the glaze into the bottom of the pan and return cake to pan. Pour remaining glaze over top and allow to soak into cake, about 20 minutes. Invert cake onto plate or cake stand and serve warm or at room temperature with chai ice cream, if desired.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine dates with boiling water. Set aside to cool.
• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, soda, salt and cocoa. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Add flour mixture alternating with cooled date mixture. Fold in chopped nuts and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips to mixture.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over top.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a mixing bowl or small saucepan, pour the boiling water over the chopped dates. Set aside. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the flour mixture. Add in the dates with the soaking liquid, and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• In an another bowl, combine the chocolate chips, walnuts, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Sprinkle mixture over top of cake. and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Steps:

• Combine the toffee bits, chips and brown sugar; set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture will appear curdled). Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Pour a third of the batter into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Sprinkle with a third of the toffee mixture. Repeat layers twice. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean., Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely. For icing, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add evaporated milk and brown sugar. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until thickened. Cool. Drizzle over cake.