Sticky date and orange cake

I'd like to tell you a story about dates.

In case you’ve missed the glaringly obvious title of this post and are anticipating some amusing or exciting anecdotes about my personal life - for which you’d be forgiven in light of my aptitude to ramble on about things totally unrelated to baking – I’d better stop you right there.  I hate to disappoint you but no, in this instance I’m talking dates of the edible, fruity kind.

Dates and I, we have a chequered history.  I didn’t use to like them.  Every time I tried to eat one, I'd chew...and chew...and chew - like a camel chewing on cud - but I’d find it sticking stubbornly in my throat.  The problem was that I couldn’t understand why, given my passion for all things sweet, I couldn’t form an amicable relationship with something that looked like it should taste of deliciously soft toffee.  Despite my aversion, I so very much wanted to like dates.

So I persisted and then one day, as if by magic, my persistence paid off: I fell in love.

Now that I’ve acquired the taste, I can’t seem to get enough.  I’ll eat all varieties, even at a push the far too syrupy, not enough flesh, under-ripe sort, but preferably plump, juicy, Medjool dates or, better yet, fresh Ajwa dates that frustratingly only seem to be available in the UK during Ramadan (if any food buyers are reading this, please pretty please with a cherry on top could you make them available more frequently, just for me?)

The best thing is that dates are good for you and that, amigos, means that this cake is good for you too!  In fact, as it contains not only dates but oranges too, I do believe we might just have ourselves two of our five a day all wrapped up neatly in one delicious cake!

Okay, so I’m pushing things slightly with that claim but honestly, this cake tasted so scrummy, I find it hard to believe the happiness derived from eating it didn’t do me some good!  It was soft, sticky, damp and yummy in my tummy!

Adapted from Hugh F-W's Date and Orange cake

Yields 10-12 slices

Serve either warm as a dessert with hot toffee sauce poured over (see below for recipe), or cold as an afternoon treat with some double cream drizzled on top.

For the cake:

• 300g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing the tin
• 250g caster sugar 
• 4 large eggs 
• 150g self-raising flour, sifted (preferably three times)
• 150g blanched almonds, whizzed in a food processor until very fine
• 200g dates, stoned and chopped (I used Ajwa. Medjool will also work but if you can't get either of these, soak standard dates in hot water for 20-30 minutes before stoning and chopping for the cake)
• Zest of 3 oranges

For the drizzle:

• 85g golden granulated sugar
• Juice of 2 fresh oranges

For the toffee sauce (optional):

• 150g butter, melted
• 220g soft light brown sugar 
• 200ml double cream

To make the cake

Preheat the oven to 170C (160C for a fan oven) and grease a deep, 8" round cake tin before lining the base with baking paper.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (use a paddle attachment if using a freestanding mixer).  Don't try to save time here - beat for a good few minutes to get a soft mixture and to incorporate lots of air as the air is what will give you a light cake.

Break the eggs one at a time into the butter and sugar, beating very, very slowly after adding each egg to incorporate it without the mixture curdling.  If it looks as though it's curdling, add a spoon of flour with each egg and continue to beat.

Add the almonds and the rest of the flour and beat until you have a glossy batter.

Finally add the chopped dates and the orange zest and stir together gently until combined before spooning the mixture evenly into the prepared tin.

Bake for 10 minutes at 170C (160C fan) before reducing the oven temperature to 150C (140C fan) and baking for another 60-65 minutes or until a knife or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If you're worried about the top of the cake burning, cover it loosely with foil after about 45 minutes of baking in total to prevent this from happening.

To make the drizzle

While the cake is baking, make the drizzle by combining the sugar and orange juice together and stirring to combine.

As soon as the cake is out of the oven, leaving it in the tin, prick it all over with a knife or skewer.

Spoon the drizzle evenly all over the cake and then leave it to seep in.  It may look like too much drizzle but it will soak slowly into the cake, ensuring a moist sponge throughout.

Once the drizzle has all soaked into the cake and the cake has cooled a little, you can remove it from the tin.

For the toffee sauce

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low to medium heat.  Once it's melted, add the brown sugar and cream, and stir to combine. Simmer for five minutes until you have a thick pouring sauce.

The toffee sauce keeps in the fridge for a few days and can be reheated either over a gentle heat on the hob or in short bursts in the microwave.

Raspberry Ripple and Lemon Cheesecake Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

I have the memory of a goldfish.  Honestly, I remember and retain next to nothing, whether it’s the plots of books I’ve read or what I did on the weekend or what’s going on in current affairs.  The worst is when it comes to holidays.  Ask me for recommendations on where to stay, places to eat, the best ways to get around any of the places I’ve been to in my life and I will prove about as useful as a chocolate teapot.  I just never remember.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not totally senile - at least, not yet - but what I do recall is the useless stuff - things that are of no help whatsoever to anyone.  For instance, years ago I went on a family holiday to Istanbul.  I remember nothing of the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia, nothing of the hotel I stayed at or restaurants I dined in.  No, the single memory I have of this trip is of a local man randomly jumping out in front of my family and me on the street and shouting "Yes, I am here!" in a thick Turkish accent, at which point we all collapsed into giggles.  Now I’ll admit, I take delight in continuing the stranger’s legacy by occasionally jumping out in front of my siblings announcing, “Yes, I am here!” (I know, I’m not normal, but we established this long ago I’m sure), but other than it providing me with immense juvenile amusement, I think we can all agree that this memory is not going to be of any use to anyone in any way, shape or form.  Ever.

Last month I was on holiday in Puerto Rico, and like Istanbul, my memories of it are already fading fast.  The things that will stay with me are (yes, you guessed it) the weird, of-no-help-to-anyone things, for example, a surreal conversation with a random stranger who told me he’d seen the face of God and that I had the same face (apparently it’s the eyes and nose.  Err, right), and eating rice and beans flavour ice cream (an acquired taste)!

The other thing that made a lasting impression on me in Puerto Rico was the extent to which American culture and influence seems to have permeated the whole place.  Perhaps not surprising given the island is a US territory.  See, not a particularly useful memory, and yet it has served at least one good purpose: when I came home, I decided my next cake would be an ode to American influence, something super-sized, over-the-top, yet addictive and irresistible.  Thus was my raspberry ripple and lemon cheesecake cake born.

This cake has got me seriously excited.  It’s different (how often do you see cheesecake and cake combined?), it’s delicious, and the possibilities for adaptation are endless.  Next up chocolate cheesecake cake, carrot cheesecake cake, red velvet cheesecake cake.  Who knows, maybe one day I’ll even try a rice and beans cheesecake cake…

Serves 20

For the baked raspberry cheesecake (cheesecake adapted from BBC GoodFood):

• 600g full fat cream cheese
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 175g golden caster sugar
• Few drops of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, plus the yolk of one large egg
• 150ml soured cream
• 225g raspberries (frozen or fresh)

For the lemon sponge cake:

• 225g butter or Stork, at room temperature (I used Stork)
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten in a bowl
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 85g golden caster sugar

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 250g butter or Stork (I used Stork)
• 400g full fat cream cheese, drained of any liquid
• 300g icing sugar
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 200g white chocolate
• 150g fresh raspberries mixed with 1 tbsp icing sugar and lightly crushed (don’t use frozen, they will release too much water, making your frosting too runny)

To make the cheesecake

Ideally you need to make the cheesecake layer one day ahead and then stick it in the freezer overnight, but if you can’t, just make sure you make it before you start on the sponge and frosting and then freeze it for 4-5 hours before assembling the whole cake.

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease the sides and base of a deep 8” round tin.  Then line the base of the tin with greaseproof paper and place the tin onto a baking sheet.

Place the cream cheese in a bowl and beat on a medium-low speed, preferably with a paddle attachment/K-beater, for a few minutes until smooth.

Add the flour and sugar and continue to beat on medium-low for a couple of minutes, stopping twice in between to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the vanilla, eggs and yolk, and the soured cream and beat together until you have a smooth, light mixture.  Again, stop to scrape down the sides once or twice between beating.

Stir in the raspberries (straight from the freezer if using frozen) and then pour the batter into your tin.

Place the tin (on the baking sheet) on the middle shelf in your oven and bake for 40 minutes.  If you have a fan oven, bake the cheesecake at 180C for the first 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 160C for the remaining 30 minutes.  If it's not a fan oven, leave the temperature at 180C throughout.

After the 40 minutes (the cheesecake will still have a wobble but do not over-bake it!), turn the oven off and open the door slightly but leave the cheesecake inside for 2 hours or until it’s completely cold.  This will allow the cheesecake to set and to become even creamier.

Once the cheesecake is set and cooled, place it in the freezer overnight (or a minimum of 4-5 hours), until you are ready to assemble the whole cake.

To make the lemon sponge cake

Pre-heat oven to 180C (or 160C for a fan oven), grease the sides and bases of two 8” round sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

In a deep bowl, vigorously beat together the butter/Stork and sugar until pale and creamy (use a K-beater if using a freestanding mixer), then add the lightly beaten eggs, slowly mixing through.

Sift the flour and baking powder together three times, before adding a third to the batter.  Once incorporated, add another third, slowly beat in again and then add the remaining third.

Once all the flour is incorporated, add the lemon zest and mix until well combined before spooning the mixture evenly into your two tins.

Place the tins on the middle shelf of the oven (this helps the cakes to rise evenly rather than with a domed top) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.

While the cakes are baking, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make a drizzle.

As soon as the cakes are out of the oven, prick them all over with a skewer or sharp knife, then pour the drizzle equally over both cakes, leaving to cool and for the juice to sink in.

To make the frosting

In a bowl, beat the butter/Stork for 4-5 minutes on a medium-high speed (use a K-beater if using a freestanding mixer).

Add the cream cheese and beat for another 2 minutes.

Sift the icing sugar into the butter and cheese mixture, add the vanilla extract and then beat again for 2 minutes.

Break the white chocolate into pieces into a bowl and melt gently, either over a bain marie (set the bowl of chocolate over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not come into contact with the water.  Stir the chocolate slowly.  Remove from the heat once it has melted) or in the microwave, then pour it into the cream cheese frosting and give one final quick beat to incorporate.

Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

The raspberries mixed with the icing sugar will be used once the cake has been assembled and frosted.

To assemble and frost the cake

Place one of the lemon sponge cake layers onto your cake plate and use a palette knife or spatula to spread a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting over the top.

Next, remove the cheesecake layer from the freezer and gently place it on top of the iced sponge layer.

Spread a thin layer of the frosting over the surface of the cheesecake before placing the final lemon sponge layer on top of the cheesecake layer.

At this point you need to crumb coat the cake.  This simply means spreading a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting first over the top of the cake and then all around the sides, using a palette knife or spatula.  Once you’ve done this crumb coat, refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to an hour, allowing the frosting to set and any loose crumbs on the cake to set within it.

Remove the cake from the fridge once the crumb coat has set and ice with the remaining frosting, starting with the top of the cake and then working all the way around the edge.  Don't worry about it being neat and smooth, a swirly pattern is what you'll be aiming for at the end anyway.

Finally, dot the gently crushed raspberries around the top and side of the cake and using your palette knife, swirl them into the frosting to create a pretty pattern.

Once assembled, store the cake in the fridge overnight – the cheesecake will be even creamier and the sponge even more moist the next day!