Salted honey date cake

Name: Salted honey date cake
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients: 300ml whole milk; 250g blocked stoned dates, roughly chopped (or you can use whole pitted dates); 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 150g unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin; 150g light muscovado sugar; 25g treacle; 100g runny honey; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 300g plain flour; ½ tsp mixed spice; to serve (optional) greek yogurt; 200g granulated sugar; 125g runny honey; 250ml whipping cream; 50g unsalted butter, cubed; 2 tsp sea salt flakes

Preparation and cooking time
- Total time1 hr and 35 mins
- + cooling
Easy
Serves 12

Ingredients

300ml whole milk
250g blocked stoned dates, roughly chopped (or you can use whole pitted dates)
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin
150g light muscovado sugar
25g treacle
100g runny honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
300g plain flour
½ tsp mixed spice
to serve (optional) greek yogurt

SALTED HONEY SAUCE

200g granulated sugar
125g runny honey
250ml whipping cream
50g unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp sea salt flakes

Method

STEP 1
Heat the milk in a pan until just steaming. Take off the heat and stir in the chopped dates and bicarb, then stand for 20 minutes to soften the dates.
STEP 2
In another pan, gently heat the butter, sugar, treacle, honey and vanilla extract, stirring, until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.
STEP 3
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and butter a deep 22-23cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Whizz the milky dates and melted butter mixture in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. Pulse in the eggs, followed by the flour with the mixed spice and a pinch of salt. When the batter is smooth, scrape into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour until the cake is firm to touch and a skewer poked into the centre comes out with only sticky crumbs. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out and onto a serving plate.
STEP 4
To make the sauce, melt the sugar and honey in a pan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, swirling every 30 seconds or so until the syrup becomes caramel coloured. Take straight off the heat and carefully whisk in the cream, followed by the butter. Simmer back on the heat for 1-2 minutes to ensure everything is combined, then add the salt and cool to room temperature.
STEP 5
Serve the cake just-warm or at room temperature. Lift onto a serving plate with enough space for the sauce to flood. Poke a few holes over the top to help absorption, then slowly pour the salted honey sauce over the whole cake to cover. Serve in wedges, with the rest of the sauce and full-fat greek yogurt on the side, if you like.