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A slice of date cake drizzled with caramel on a plate next to a fork and cup of coffee.

Spice Cake with Dates, Rye and Salted Caramel Drizzle

A deliciously moist spice cake made with dates, warm spices and earthy rye flour and drizzled with warm salted caramel sauce before serving.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Cake, Dessert, Fika
Cuisine: Nordic, Nordic Scandinavian
Keyword: Date Cake, Rye Cake, Spice Cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 359kcal
Author: Kristi

Equipment

  • 9 inch springform pan

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces chopped pitted dates about 1 ½ cups
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • cup rye flour
  • 3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce for serving optional but delicious

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside. Combine dates and baking soda in a bowl and cover with boiling water until submerged. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes to allow the dates to soften. Drain the dates and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, whisk salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, flour and rye flour together in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Whisk the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and oil together in a medium bowl. Add one egg at a time, whisking thoroughly until fully incorporated before adding the other egg.
  • Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, Mixing until just combined. Add the dates and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Smooth the top with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake is firm to the touch in the center, about 40-45 minutes.
  • Allow to cool before removing the sides from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature with 3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce if desired.

Notes

Make sure your brown sugar is soft and fresh. This just helps it blend more easily with the oil, granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
Be careful not to under bake the cake. Sometimes this cake seems like it is done because it has puffed in the center, but if the center is actually not done, it will collapse in the center and be a bit gooey in texture. Still delicious but not ideal. Be sure the cake is firm in the center and bounces back when pressed with your finger. A skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg