Ina Garten’s Fluffy Date Cake Recipe: A Sweet Treat to Savor

Warm, moist, and bursting with rich caramel notes, this Ina Garten date cake recipe brings comfort straight to your kitchen table.

Decadent dates mingle with tender crumb, creating a dessert that whispers sweet memories.

Each slice promises a delightful journey through layers of sophisticated flavor.

The recipe combines simple ingredients with expert technique, ensuring even novice bakers can achieve bakery-worthy results.

Soft, golden-brown edges hint at the deliciousness waiting inside each carefully crafted piece.

Aromatic spices dance through the cake, promising a sensory experience that goes beyond mere sweetness.

You’ll fall in love with this irresistible dessert that turns an ordinary afternoon into a moment of pure culinary bliss.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Calories: 450 kcal

Servings: 8

What You’ll Mix for Ina Garten’s Date Cake

• Dates: Rich, naturally sweet fruit that adds deep flavor and moisture to the cake, ensuring a luscious texture. Choose plump, soft dates without any signs of crystallization.
• Water: Essential for softening dates and creating a smooth, moist cake base. Use filtered water for best results.

• Flour: Provides structure and foundation for the cake. Select unbleached all-purpose flour for consistent baking performance.
• Salt: Enhances overall flavor balance and brings out the sweetness of other ingredients.
• Baking Powder: Crucial leavening agent that helps the cake rise and become light and fluffy.

• Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a tender crumb. Opt for granulated white sugar with fine crystals.
• Butter: Delivers rich flavor and contributes to the cake's tender texture. Use unsalted butter for precise flavor control.
• Eggs: Bind ingredients together and provide structure and richness. Select fresh, room-temperature eggs.
• Vanilla Extract: Introduces aromatic complexity and depth to the cake's flavor profile. Choose pure vanilla extract for best results.

• Brown Sugar: Creates a deep, caramel-like sweetness with subtle molasses notes. Select fresh, soft brown sugar.
• Heavy Cream: Adds luxurious richness and smooth consistency to the caramel sauce.

Tools That Simplify Ina Garten Date Cake Baking

• Large saucepan: Perfect for boiling dates and creating the initial liquid base.
• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer: Essential for creaming sugar and butter, and mixing batter smoothly.
• Mixing bowls: Needed for combining dry ingredients and separating wet and dry mixtures.
• Measuring cups and spoons: Critical for accurate ingredient measurements.
• Muffin pans or 9-inch round cake pan: Used for baking the cake.
• Toothpick: Helps test cake doneness and create holes for caramel sauce.
• Medium saucepan: Used for preparing the caramel sauce.
• Whisk or wooden spoon: Helpful for stirring ingredients and mixing batter.
• Cooling rack: Optional for cooling cakes after baking.

Bake the Perfect Date Cake Like Ina Garten

Dreamy Date Delight

• Oven Preparation Warm up the kitchen by setting the oven to a cozy temperature and preparing your baking vessels with a light butter and flour coating.
• Date Magic Simmer plump dates in water until they soften and create a rich, syrupy base. Introduce baking soda to create a magical foamy transformation.
• Creamy Mixture Whip together sugar and butter until they become light and cloud-like. Gently fold in eggs and vanilla, creating a smooth and silky batter.
• Dry Ingredient Blend Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl, ready to join the wet ingredients with a gentle touch.
• Batter Fusion Carefully incorporate the warm date mixture into the batter, creating a luscious, slightly lumpy texture that promises deliciousness.
• Baking Adventure Pour the batter into your chosen pan and let it bake until golden and fragrant. A toothpick test will reveal its perfect doneness.
• Caramel Drench Craft a luxurious sauce by melting butter, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla into a rich, glossy pool of sweetness.
• Final Touch Gently puncture the warm cake and drench it with the decadent caramel sauce, allowing it to soak up all the delightful flavors.
• Serving Suggestion Flip the cake onto a beautiful plate and crown it with a cloud of whipped cream or a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream.

Flavor Swaps to Try in Ina Garten’s Date Cake

• Expert Tips & Variations
• Pull out butter and eggs 30-45 minutes before baking to ensure smooth, even mixing and optimal cake texture.
• Replace water with strong coffee or orange juice for deeper, more complex flavor profiles that complement the sweet dates.
• Use dark metal pans for deeper caramelization or ceramic dishes for more even heat distribution, depending on your desired crust intensity.
• Wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, allowing caramel sauce to continue infusing rich, decadent flavors.
• Sprinkle toasted chopped nuts, drizzle extra caramel, or dust with powdered sugar to elevate the cake's visual appeal and add complementary textures.

Present Ina’s Date Cake with Style

• Serve Fresh and Warm: Pull the date cake straight from the oven and enjoy its comforting warmth with a dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream melting on top.
• Pair with Beverage Companions: Complement the rich, sweet cake with a steaming cup of dark roast coffee or smooth chai tea to balance the dessert's decadent flavors.
• Dress Up with Garnishes: Sprinkle toasted chopped nuts like almonds or pecans over the cake for added crunch and a delightful textural contrast against the soft, moist cake layers.
• Create Elegant Presentation: Drizzle extra caramel sauce in artistic swirls around the cake plate and dust with a light powdering of confectioner's sugar for a restaurant-style finishing touch.

How to Keep Ina Garten Date Cake Soft

• Maximize Freshness: Store the date cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, keeping its moist texture and rich flavor intact.
• Refrigerate with Care: When storing in the refrigerator, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Consume within 5-7 days for optimal taste.
• Freeze for Later: Slice the cake into individual portions, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe container. Frozen date cake stays delicious for up to 2 months.
• Revive and Enjoy: Thaw frozen cake slices at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Warm slightly in the microwave and top with fresh caramel sauce to restore its just-baked moisture and warmth.

Luscious Ina Garten Date Cake Recipe

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4.7 from 15 reviews

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Ina Garten’s date cake sparks pure comfort with classic Mediterranean flavors. Rich ingredients and simple techniques create a memorable dessert you’ll savor with each delightful bite.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb (454 g) dates, pitted and chopped
• 8 oz (227 g) butter, softened
• ½ lb (227 g) butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar (8 oz)
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 3 ¼ tbsps baking powder
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Thoroughly grease two muffin trays or a 9-inch circular baking dish with butter and flour.
2. Date Infusion: Combine dates and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer briefly. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda until foamy.
3. Cream Mixture: Whip sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, scraping bowl sides. Incorporate vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Dry Ingredient Integration: Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Gently fold into wet mixture, creating a slightly lumpy batter.
5. Batter Finalization: Merge warm date liquid into the batter in two stages, mixing thoroughly. Sprinkle additional baking powder as a final touch.
6. Baking Process: Evenly distribute batter into prepared baking vessels. Bake 30-40 minutes for cake pan or 20 minutes for muffins, checking doneness with a clean toothpick test.
7. Caramel Sauce Creation: In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Simmer 1-2 minutes until glossy and thickened.
8. Finishing Touch: Pierce cake surface with toothpick. Drizzle warm caramel sauce over cakes, allowing it to penetrate for 10 minutes.
9. Serving Suggestion: Invert cakes onto serving plates with caramelized side up. Garnish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for an elegant presentation.

Notes

• Soak Dates Strategically: Boiling dates with baking soda breaks down their structure, creating an incredibly moist and tender cake texture.
• Master Mixing Technique: Whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy to ensure a smooth, even cake consistency that prevents dense results.
• Check Baking Precision: Use the toothpick test to guarantee perfect doneness – a clean toothpick means your cake is baked perfectly without being dry.
• Caramel Absorption Trick: Poking holes before drizzling caramel allows the sauce to penetrate deeper, infusing every bite with rich, sweet flavor.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Desserts, Snacks
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 8
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 35 g
• Sodium: 200 mg
• Fat: 25 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 55 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 6 g
• Cholesterol: 100 mg