This sticky date cake is rich, soft and loaded with warming stem ginger and syrup. Finished with a crunchy Demerara sugar topping this ginger date cake is lovely with a cup of tea. Alternatively, serve it warm with custard as a dessert.
If you love dates don't miss my oaty date slices and if you adore ginger try my ginger loaf cake.
Why I Love This Ginger And Date Cake
- Easy bake: The batter is ready in 20 minutes then, once baked, there's no time-consuming decorating involved.
- Humble appearance: This date loaf cake is adorned simply with stem ginger syrup and Demerara sugar. It looks rustic and inviting.
- Flavour: Dates impart a caramelised flavour to this bake with the ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg combining to add cosy warmth.
- Textures: Expect a moist date cake with a soft crumb. The dates virtually melt into the cake but the tiny chunks of stem ginger remain, whilst the crunchy topping is the perfect contrast to the softness of the cake.
Before getting into this recipe, I want to be clear: This sticky date cake has nothing to do with sticky toffee pudding, which is a popular British dessert featuring a date laden sponge smothered in hot toffee sauce. If you were hoping for a cake variation on this classic pudding, take a look at my popular sticky toffee cupcakes.
This date loaf incorporates plenty of dates in the cake batter, but that is where the similarity to sticky toffee pud ends. It's a sticky cake because the dates lend a naturally sticky element to the soft sponge cake. The inclusion of stem ginger syrup poured over the top amplifies the sticky nature of this bake.
Ingredients Notes
Dates: This date loaf requires stoned block dates. These are located in the baking section of supermarkets. They need to be soaked prior to adding to the cake batter to ensure that they soften to a paste easy to mix in.
Stem ginger: You will need stem ginger that comes in syrup as this recipe required both the stem ginger bulbs and a quantity of the thick syrup from the jar. Opies stem ginger is my favourite.
Light Muscovado sugar: This ingredient helps create a soft, almost fudgy texture to this cake, helping to amplify the sticky nature of it.
Golden syrup: This very British product adds both structure and depth of flavour to the cake. Golden syrup (often associated with cornflake tart) is easy to find in UK supermarkets, but for those living outside of the UK, it's worth investing in a jar as there is no close substitute. If you cannot get hold of it then use honey but the flavour of the cake will be different.
Black treacle: Similarly, this is included for the taste and texture elements that it provides. Black treacle (associated with Bonfire toffee) is another ingredient readily available in the UK. If you are elsewhere in the world and cannot get it, substitute with dark molasses.
How To Make Sticky Date Cake (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Chop the dates into small pieces, place them in a bowl, sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over them and pour sufficient hot water (from a recently boiled kettle) over to cover them completely. Set aside.
Finely mince the stem ginger.
Step 2. Use electric beaters to cream the butter, sugar, golden syrup and black treacle together until light and fluffy.
Step 3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, then beat in the soured cream/ Greek yoghurt.
Step 4. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together and sieve into the mixing bowl. Fold the flour mixture through until the batter is smooth and no streaks of flour remain.
Step 5. Drain the dates by tipping them into a fine-meshed sieve suspended over a bowl. Shake the sieve to remove excess liquid. Discard the soaking water.
Add the dates and stem ginger to the cake batter and fold through.
Step 6. Spoon the batter into a lined loaf tin then sprinkle half of the Demerara sugar over the top.
Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until well-risen and cooked through (poke a skewer into the centre - it should come out clean if the cake is properly baked).
Step 7. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven poke holes into it using a cocktail pick. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of syrup from the jar of stem ginger over the top of the cake.
Step 8. Immediately sprinkle the remaining Demerara sugar over the cake and leave it in the tin to cool completely.
Let The Cake Flavour Develop
For the best flavour wrap your date loaf cake in foil and store at room temperature for 24 hours before serving. This will allow the flavours to develop further.
Storage Instructions
Store your cake (wrapped) at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Alternatively, freeze the cake (either whole or individual slices) for up to 2 months. Defrost fully at room temperature before serving.
Expert Tips
- Weigh ingredients accurately: Use grams and digital kitchen scales for precision. Don't estimate ingredient weights when baking as inferior resusts are highly likely.
- Use the correct tin size: This date loaf cake requires a 1lb loaf tin. Mine measures approx 18cm x 10cm.
- Grease & line your baking tin: Even if the tin is non-stick, your cake will be easier to remove from it as a result.
- Mince the ginger finely: The finer you are able to chop the ginger the less chunky your cake will be. In addition, the warmth of the ginger will be more evenly spread throughout the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soaking dates in hot water with bicarbonate of soda helps break down their tough fibres, turning them into a soft paste. This makes them easier to incorporate into cake batter and contributes to a moist date cake with a sticky crumb. The bicarbonate of soda also reacts with the natural acidity in the dates, helping to promote a lighter, more even texture in the finished cake.
This recipe has been created using Whitworths block dates which are Sayer dates that have been destoned, pressed and formed into a compact block. They are well-suited to baking as they can simply be chopped and added directly to recipes. When heated they break down into a sticky paste which is ideal for blending into the cake batter for this ginger date cake.
Substituting whole dates such as Medjool or Deglet Nour is possible, but may produce inconsistent results. These dates must be de-stoned, chopped and soaked but their natural moisture content can vary considerably compared to block dates. As a result, the cake batter may become looser, potentially affecting the final sturture and texture of the baked cake. In addition, their higher natural sweetness may require a reduction in added sugar,
In essence, this is not a like-for-like substitution and I do not reccomend such a switch.
Date cake is likely to sink in the middle if the dates are not properly drained after soaking. This causes excess liquid to be mixed into the batter, resulting in thin batter that does not set properly as it bakes. Please refer to the step 5 image above to see what the dates should look like before being added to the batter.
The cake may also sink if it is underbaked or if too much raising agent is used. For this reason, I recommend using plain flour and baking powder rather than self-raising flour as this allows greater control over the quantity of raising agent used.
Variations
- Add nuts: Walnuts, pecan nuts and almonds all partner well with dates. For a crunchier, nutty date loaf try mixing 75g chopped nuts of your choice into the cake batter.
- Add chocolate: To satiate a chocolate craving, mix 100g dark chocolate chips into the cake batter.
- Turn it into a sticky toffee date cake: To do this you should leave out the Demerara sugar and add a sticky toffee flavoured buttercream plus a drizzle of sticky toffee sauce to the top of your ginger and date cake. You can find instructions for both these additions in my recipe for sticky toffee cupcakes.
Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy this cake just as it is with a cup of tea or coffee (I recommend it with a cinnamon latte) - it's a lovely addition to afternoon tea actually.
Alternatively, serve your date loaf cake with custard to make a noteworthy and deeply comforting dessert (wrap it in foil and warm it through if desired).
More Easy Loaf Cakes
Have you made this sticky date cake recipe? Please rate the recipe or leave a comment - I love hearing how you get along with my creations.
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📖 Recipe
Sticky Date Cake (soft sponge, warming ginger, crunchy topping)
Equipment
- 1 1lb loaf tin approximately 18cm x 10cm x 8cm (length, width, depth)
Ingredients
- 150 g Block Dates e.g. Whitworths
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- 75 g Stem Ginger approx. 3 bulbs
- 125 g Butter or baking margarine
- 125 g Light Muscovado Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Black Treacle
- 2 Eggs large, free-range
- 45 g Soured Cream or Greek yoghurt
- 150 g Plain Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 30 g Demerara Sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons Stem Ginger Syrup from the jar of stem ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170℃/ 340℉ and grease and line the 1lb loaf tin.
- Finely chop the dates, place them into a bowl, sprinkle over the bicrabonate of soda and cover with freshly boiled water. Set aside to soak.150 g Block Dates, ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- Mince the stem ginger bulbs as finely as possible - use a large sharp knife to do this.75 g Stem Ginger
- Use electric beaters to cream the butter, Muscovado sugar, golden syrup and black treacle together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.125 g Butter, 125 g Light Muscovado Sugar, 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup, 1 tablespoon Black Treacle
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, then beat in the soured cream/ Greek yoghurt.2 Eggs, 45 g Soured Cream
- Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together and sieve into the mixing bowl. Use a large metal spoon to fold the flour mixture through until the batter is smooth and no streaks of flour remain.150 g Plain Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- Drain the dates by tipping them into a fine-meshed sieve suspended over a bowl. Shake the sieve a few times to remove excess liquid (the dates should look very soft, almost like a puree). Discard the soaking water and add the dates and stem ginger to the cake batter. Fold through until evenly distributed.
- Spoon the batter into a lined loaf tin then sprinkle half of the Demerara sugar over the top.30 g Demerara Sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until well-risen and cooked through (poke a skewer into the centre - it should come out clean if the cake is properly baked).
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven poke holes into it using a cocktail pick. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of syrup from the jar of stem ginger over the top of the cake3-4 tablespoons Stem Ginger Syrup
- Immediately sprinkle the remaining Demerara sugar over the cake and leave it in the tin to cool completely.30 g Demerara Sugar
Notes
- Wrap your cake for 24 hours: For the best flavour wrap your date loaf cake in foil and store at room temperature for 24 hours before serving. This will allow the flavours to develop further.
- Weigh ingredients accurately: Use grams and digital kitchen scales for precision. Don't estimate ingredient weights when baking as inferior resusts are highly likely.
- Use the correct tin size: This date loaf cake requires a 1lb loaf tin. Mine measures approx 18cm x 10cm.
- Grease & line your baking tin: Even if the tin is non-stick, your cake will be easier to remove from it as a result.
- Mince the ginger finely: The finer you are able to chop the ginger the less chunky your cake will be and the warmth of the ginger will be more evenly spread throughout the cake.
- Store your cake (wrapped) at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Freeze the cake (either whole or individual slices) for up to 2 months. Defrost fully at room temperature before serving.
Variations
- Add nuts: Walnuts, pecan nuts and almonds all partner well with dates. For a crunchier, nutty date cake try mixing 75g chopped nuts of your choice into the cake batter.
- Add chocolate: To satiate a chocolate craving, mix 100g dark chocolate chips into the cake batter.
- Turn it into a sticky toffee date cake: To do this you could leave out the Demerara sugar and add a sticky toffee flavoured buttercream plus a drizzle of sticky toffee sauce to the top of your ginger and date cake. You can find instructions for both these additions in my recipe for sticky toffee cupcakes.
Ms Laura floyd says
I have made this now at least 6 times and everytime it comes out as good as the first! It’s an absolute winner of a receipe and I even made it for a charity cake sale and it was sold for £8!! I had to use dark brown sugar as I had run out but it still tasted fab! One that will go in my favourite cakes, both to make and to eat!
Jane Coupland says
Ah Laura, thanks so much - this is one of my favourites too - I'm a sucker for dates.