Week13: Date-fruit Cake with Butterscotch Icing

One of my favorite recipes is a Date-fruit cake, served warm with warm, made-from-scratch butterscotch sauce poured over top. I thought of it right away when starting Hveiti og Smjör, but having no way to transport the cake warm, nor a container of sauce, I gave up. However when I saw and tasted some dates recently, I figured I needed to try harder on how to bring this great dessert. By changing from a butterscotch sauce to an icing, it transports fine, and can be toasted or microwaved should you like it warm. :-)

I love how this recipe starts. Pit the dates.

Then I chop them to be fine, and prepare all the initial sauce ingredients so they are ready at hand. Water, chopped dates, butter, and sugar.

First I boil the chopped dates and water.

Then melt in the butter and sugar.

After fully melted, I add baking soda, stir, and allow to cool.

After cooled, it goes in the mixing bowl, and flour, an egg, and vanilla are added.

And beaten into a batter. While that's in the oven, I start on the icing.

Whereas Caramel is caramelized white sugar, Butterscotch is caramelized brown sugar. This particular icing starts with brown sugar, butter, and whole milk, and a bit of golden syrup to keep it from crystallizing after it's added to the frosting base later.

Add to the pot.

Bring it to a boil on medium high heat, stirring constantly till the boil starts.

Once boiling, I add a candy thermometer to ensure it goes to the right temperature (hard ball stage).

While it's boiling, I start the frosting base. I add butter and a bit of salt to the mixer and start to mix.

And start to add sifted powdered sugar.

A little at a time, so it gets properly incorporated.

Till it's almost all a fine white powder that would stick together if pressed.

Next, I pour in hot milk, and it creams together. The hot milk helps dissolve the powdered sugar.

Look at that beautiful texture. Now it's ready for the butterscotch. 

Here I am pouring the butterscotch into the frosting while still warm. If it's allowed to harden, it won't incorporate.

Mmmmm, the drizzles look so inviting, and it really does taste just like butterscotch, because it's made out of real butterscotch!

The cake comes out of the oven and is allowed to cool.

Meanwhile I roast some whole walnuts.

The walnuts have a delicious nutty roasted flavor and go on top of the icing.

Absolutely delicious. Moist, with the sweetness of the dates, while not being overpowering, and the salty sweet butterscotch icing is the perfect compliment.

Just look at that texture, with the bits of dates shining through. :-)