This is for when you can’t decide between a warm, cosy sticky date pudding or a comforting slice of carrot cake. It has the best of both worlds! This sticky date & carrot pudding is so warm and fuzzy, it’s like eating a hug. It’s sweet, it’s sticky, it’s spicy and drizzled with that gorgeous butterscotch sauce, it’s the ultimate comfort dessert of the season!

The temperatures are dropping rapidly here in Sydney, which means warm desserts are officially in season! I’ve been on a sugar cleanse lately, not by choice I should add. This is going to sound absurd and yes I get the irony behind it considering what I do, but its simply because I haven’t had any time to…bake. Work has been crazy (again, I get it) and I’m currently drowning in the happy bliss of admin work. YAY!

And of course, creating this amazing bread-making course for you- Bake Better Bread. Actual YAYYYY!!! It’s a mentorship program that teaches you the fundamentals of bread-making. If that sounds like your jam, then go ahead and check out the program details here.

Anyhoo, back to this cake. This gorgeous, gorgeous cake. Well, this isn’t much to say. Its a sticky date & carrot pudding..and it’s incredibly yum! And very simple to make. So go make it and give yourself the gift of pure joy :))

Recipe

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 125g pitted mejdool dates

• 188g water

• 3/4 tsp bi-carb soda

• 113g unsalted butter, soft at room temp (28-32°C)

• 150g dark brown sugar (or sub light brown)

• 100g whole eggs ~2 large, at room temp (28-32°C)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste

• 38g molasses (or sub treacle syrup)

• 158g plain flour

• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt flakes

• 1 heaped tsp cinnamon powder

• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

• 95g grated carrot (measured after grating)

For the whiskey butterscotch sauce:

• 120g heavy cream

• 55g unsalted butter

• 55g dark brown sugar (or sub light brown)

• 38g liquid glucose

• 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla paste

• 2g salt flakes

• 13g whiskey, or bourbon

For the mascarpone chantilly:

• 100g mascarpone

• 80g heavy cream

• 18g caster sugar

Method

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced) or 190°C (deck oven).

• Grease and line a 7” square baking tin with baking paper. You can also use a 7” round cake tin. Keep aside.

• Weigh out the dry ingredients: plain flour, baking powder, salt and spices (no bi-carb soda). Whisk to combine well. Keep aside.

• In another bowl, weigh out the eggs, vanilla and molasses. Whisk to combine well. Keep aside.

• Peel and grate the carrot. Keep aside.

• In a small pot, add the pitted dates and water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.

• While the dates are cooking, in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter and dark brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 mins, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

• Add the egg mix and beat on high for 2-3 mins or until well emulsified. Scrape down the sides occasionally.*

• Once the dates-water mixture is boiling, remove from heat and blitz to a puree. I like to use an immersion blender, you can also use a blender.

• Add the bi-carb soda to this hot date puree and stir to combine well. The mixture will start to aerate.

• Add to the butter-egg mixture and mix on medium speed to combine well.

• Lastly, add the dry ingredients along with the grated carrot and mix to just combine. I like to use a hand whisk to finish mixing the batter properly.

• Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin and bake for 40-45 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool.

For the whiskey butterscotch sauce:

• In a small pot, add all the ingredients except for the salt and whiskey. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally.

• Boil the sauce for a minute before removing it from the heat. Add the salt and whiskey and whisk well. At this point, I like to emulsify the sauce using an immersion blender.

• Pour into a bowl and allow to cool till its no longer hot.

For the mascarpone chantilly:

• Put all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to medium-stiff peaks. Refrigerate until use.

Assembly:

• Cut the cake into 6cm squares or any size of your choice. I like to use the cake while its still a little warm. If using the next day, heat it up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

• Serve each slice with a generous pour of the warm butterscotch sauce and a dollop of the mascarpone cream. Bon appetite!

Notes:

*- It’s important to have the butter and egg at room temperature. If they are cold from the fridge, they will not emulsify together and the batter will look split.

**- You can prepare everything a day in advance and store in the fridge.

If you enjoyed that and tried it at home, please tag me at @myyummyspatula on Instagram so that I can see all your bakes! For more BTS stories, updates and fun, you can follow along here: