Date and Coffee Sponge Cake

 

At the weekend I baked a Chocolate Cream pie because I was craving something naughty and sweet.  I used what should have been a pretty reliable recipe, but for some reason the chocolate didn't set up at all. I ended up flushing it.  Shame really.

Anyways, I was still craving something sweet and so today I decided to turn to one of my old reliable recipes, and I baked us a Date and Coffee Sponge Cake. 

 

One thing which I really love about this cake is that it is incredibly easy to throw together, with an all-in-one bowl method of mixing the batter. No fuss, no muss and not a lot to clean up.

I also love its beautiful texture. It is dense and incredibly moist.  

Don't get me started on the dates. I adore dates and this cake is loaded with lots of bits of sticky date throughout! 

 

The recipe is one which I adapted from the cookery book by Tamasin Day Lewis, entitled Supper for  A Song.  Tamasin Day Lewis is one of my favorite cooks.

She is the sister of Daniel Day Lewis the actor and she cooks plenty of non-pretentious, every day, delicious food.  I would call her the Elizabeth David of our day.  She writes regularly for Vogue, Saveur and Reader's Digest.

 

Good food for good people.  I love her recipes. I own several of her books. This one is filled with back-to-basics, eating well, waste avoiding, healthy comfort food.  Food that is deliciously satisfying and easy on the budget as well.

Another one of my favorite recipes from this book is Bread Soup.  This is the most delicious soup ever, despite being made from a few very simple ingredients. 

 

This delicious cake is the same, using a very few ingredients, put together in the most delicious way. It's a cake to fall in love with.

I guarantee this is a recipe you will find yourself turning to again and again, especially if you love dates!  And Coffee!  The two together are quite simply a fabulous taste combination! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DATE AND COFFEE SPONGE CAKE

Very simple kitchen store cupboard ingredients.

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup (180g) butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 tbsp very strongly brewed coffee
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (scant) (200g) plain all-purpose flour
• 2 level tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (125ml) full fat milk
• 1 cup (160-200g) pitted dates, chopped into quarters

 

For the glaze:

• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar
• 1 1/2 TBS butter, melted
• 2 TBS strong brewed coffee
• 2-3 tsp boiling water, if needed (I didn't need any.)

 

I made my coffee quite strong for this. I think I used about 2 TBS instant coffee and 5 TBS of water. I don't normally drink coffee, so when I use it to cook with, its always a bit of a guessing game for me.

It made a lovely coffee flavor for the cake as well as the glaze and gave both a really nice dark color that I thought was quite pretty when set against the dates!

 

HOW TO MAKE DATE AND COFFEE SPONGE CAKE

This really is a very easy cake to make. I highly recommend, if you are looking for a simple cake that is super pleasing! 

Preheat the oven to 300*F/150*C and spray a 9-inch square baking tin with non-stick spray. Line with paper, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out.

Melt the butter in a small pan and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric mixer, until thick and creamy. Add the flour, baking powder, melted butter, milk and 2 TBS of the coffee. Whisk until well combined and then fold in the dates by hand. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, making sure the dates are evenly distributed.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool, while you make the glaze.

 

For the glaze, measure the icing sugar into a bowl and give it a quick whisk to get rid of any lumps. Melt the butter, and while it is still hot, pour onto the icing sugar, followed by 2 TBS of coffee. Whisk everything together until smooth. The consistency should be thick, so you know the glaze will set as it cools. (If it seems too thick, add 2-3 tsp of boiling water to thin.)

Pour the glaze over the cake in the tin and spread it out gently. There will be just enough to cover the cake. This is not meant to be a thick icing.

This delicious cake will have you thinking about it long after it's gone. I guarantee it is destined to become a true family favorite! 

Some other really delicious favorite, family pleasing, basic cakes of mine that you may want to try are:

MAPLE CAKE - A maple syrup flavored snacking cake with a lovely brown sugar fudge frosting that everyone loves. Dense and delicious.

SPANISH CAKE - This is my all time, absolute favorite cake. So much so that I also recreated it in a small batch version.  This cake is so good that I once baked it about three times in one week! It has a lovely moist crumb, flavored with cinnamon and that brown sugar penuche frosting is to die for.   It is the absolute best! 

Yield: 8 - 10

Author: Marie Rayner

Date and Coffee Sponge Cake

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This is a really lovely, quick to make cake that is moist and delicious. Flavored with coffee and studded with sticky chunks of date, it boasts a not too sweet coffee crackle glaze! It goes perfectly with a hot drink!

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup (180g) butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 tbsp very strongly brewed coffee
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (scant) (200g) plain all-purpose flour
• 2 level tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (125ml) full fat milk
• 1 cup (160-200g) pitted dates, chopped into quarters

For the glaze:

• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar
• 1 1/2 TBS butter, melted
• 2 TBS strong brewed coffee
• 2-3 tsp boiling water, if needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300*F/150*C and spray a 9-inch square baking tin with non-stick spray. Line with paper, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan and set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric mixer, until thick and creamy. Add the flour, baking powder, melted butter, milk and 2 TBS of the coffee. Whisk until well combined and then fold in the dates by hand. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, making sure the dates are evenly distributed.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool, while you make the glaze.
5. For the glaze, measure the icing sugar into a bowl and give it a quick whisk to get rid of any lumps. Melt the butter, and while it is still hot, pour onto the icing sugar, followed by 2 TBS of coffee. Whisk everything together until smooth. The consistency should be thick, so you know the glaze will set as it cools. (If it seems too thick, add 2-3 tsp of boiling water to thin.)
6. Pour the glaze over the cake in the tin and spread it out gently. There will be just enough to cover the cake. This is not meant to be a thick icing.

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