Sticky Ginger and Date Cake
Rich, moist and bursting with with ginger and dates, this fabulous cake, not only lasts well, but, if you can bear to wait, it tastes even better after a couple of days. It is outstanding with a cup of tea and fabulous served as dessert with caramel sauce and ice cream or a generous portion of custard.
With cream, ice cream and caramel sauce 
With custard
Where is this recipe from?
This recipe is very slightly adapted from the wonderful Sarah’s Slice. Sarah shares many cake and cookie recipes based on those she developed and perfected whilst owning a cafe in Cumbria. You should definitely take a look at her fabulous website and insta account. Everything I have tried, has been FANTASTIC! For the original recipe, see here.
How to make Ginger and Date Cake
Collect all your ingredients together:
- unsalted butter
- dark brown or soft brown sugar
- golden syrup
- black treacle
- fine salt
- eggs
- semi-skimmed milk
- stem ginger, chopped
- plain/all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- ground ginger
- cinnamon powder
- chopped dates
- extra golden syrup or syrup from the stem ginger to brush on the cooked cake
How to make this fabulous cake:
- Weigh the butter, golden syrup, black treacle, sugar and salt into a saucepan. Melt over a moderate heat and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool for 15 – 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile mix the milk and eggs and chop the stem ginger.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon powders into the saucepan and add the egg and milk mix.
- Mix thoroughly with a balloon whisk and fold in the chopped dates and stem ginger.
- Divide between either the 1 x 900g/2lb lined loaf tin or the 2 x 450g/1 lb loaf tins. If dividing between 2 tins, each tin should have around 530g – 535g of cake batter.
- Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 45 – 55 minutes, for the smaller size, or 55 – 65 minutes for the larger size. It is cooked when:
- the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.
- a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then, using the greaseproof paper over-hang, transfer to a cooling rack and set aside until completely cool.
Ingredients 
1 Butter, sugar, treacle, syrup, salt 
Melt 
2 Eggs and milk 
Chop ginger 
3 Flour mix, eggs, milk 
4 Mix well 
Add dates … 
… fold in. 
5 Either 2 x 450g tins 
or 1 x 900g tin 
6 Bake
Made this recipe?
If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.
Sticky Ginger and Date Cake
Rich, moist and bursting with with ginger and dates, this fabulous cake, not only lasts well, but, if you can bear to wait, it tastes even better after a couple of days. It is outstanding with a cup of tea and fabulous served as dessert with caramel sauce and ice cream or a generous portion of custard.
900g loaf or 2 x 450g loaves
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter
- 60g dark brown or soft brown sugar
- 110g golden syrup
- 90g black treacle
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 eggs
- 150ml semi-skimmed milk
- 2 pieces stem ginger, chopped
- 225g plain/all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 125g chopped dates
- extra golden syrup, or syrup from the stem ginger, to brush on the cooked cake
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Preheat oven to fan 140°C/160°C/320°F/Gas 3 and grease and line 1 x 900g/2lb loaf tin or 2 x 450g/1 lb loaf tins with greaseproof paper. Alternatively, use cake tin liner(s).
-
Weigh the butter, golden syrup, black treacle, sugar and salt into a saucepan. Melt over a moderate heat and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool for 15 – 20 minutes.
-
Meanwhile mix the milk and eggs and chop the stem ginger.
-
Sieve the flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon powders into the saucepan and add the egg and milk mix.
-
Mix thoroughly with a balloon whisk and fold in the chopped dates and stem ginger.
-
Divide between either the 1 x 900g/2lb lined loaf tin or the 2 x 450g/1 lb loaf tins. If dividing between 2 tins, each tin should have around 530g – 535g of cake batter.
-
Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 45 – 55 minutes, for the smaller size, or 55 – 65 minutes for the larger size. It is cooked when:
– the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.
– a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
– the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin.
-
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then, using the greaseproof paper over-hang, transfer to a cooling rack and set aside until completely cool.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- large saucepan
- chopping board and knife
- sieve and balloon whisk
- greased and lined 1 x 900g/2lb loaf tin or 2 x 450g/1 lb loaf tins
How should I serve this cake?
Rich, moist and bursting with with ginger and dates, this fabulous cake, not only lasts well, but, if you can bear to wait, it tastes even better after a couple of days. It is outstanding with a cup of tea and fabulous served as dessert with caramel sauce and ice cream or a generous portion of custard.
Where is this recipe from?
This recipe is very slightly adapted from the wonderful Sarah’s Slice. Sarah shares many cake and cookie recipes based on those she developed and perfected whilst owning a cafe in Cumbria. You should definitely take a look at her fabulous website and insta account. Everything I have tried, has been FANTASTIC! For the original recipe, see here.
