From Colonie 

Recipe Serves: 8-10

A note from Colonie:

This cake is the perfect treat to highlight the sweetness of dates. And the toffee sauce adds a luscious layer as you bite in. Make it for the barbecue, the last hurrah of summer before the leaves begin to turn and the weather cools.

Cake ingredients:

• 1,814g pitted dates
• 30g vanilla extract
• 40g baking soda
• 454g butter
• 1,520g sugar
• 8 eggs
• 887g all-purpose flour
• 36g baking powder
• 10g salt

Toffee Sauce Ingredients:

• 227g butter
• 880g heavy cream
• 1,360 dark brown sugar
• 6g salt
• 56g rum

Cake instructions:

1. In a large pot, poach dates in water until tender.
2. Remove pot from the heat and allow the dates to cool.
3. Once cooled, purée dates with some of the poaching liquid and scoop into a large mixing bowl.
4. Whisk in vanilla and baking soda.
5. Cream butter in mixer, then slowly incorporate sugar.
6. Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time.
7. In a large bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients together. Then slowly incorporate it, as well as the date purée, into butter/egg mixture.
8. Portion batter by using a pastry bag into a silicone mold over 2 sheet trays.
9. Bake at 350˚ for about 25 minutes.
10. After the first half of baking, drizzle a little toffee sauce over the top.
11. Continue to bake until toffee sauce is set, then cool.

Toffee Sauce Instructions:

1. In a pot, combine butter, heavy cream, dark brown sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer mixture until fully emulsified.
3. Once emulsified take mixture off heat and cool it down.
4. Store in quart containers and place in the fridge until ready to use.

To Serve:

Top with warm toffee sauce and a scoop of ice cream or a little salt.