Orange, Date, & Walnut Cake with Orange Butterscotch Sauce from Simply Citrus
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A moist, delicious cake filled with oranges, dates, and nuts, and topped with a luxurious orange butterscotch sauce.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
for the cake:
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 cups loosely packed chopped pitted dates (about 5.25 ounces)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ chopped walnuts (or pecans)
  • 2 Tablespoons candied orange peel or orange zest
for the orange butterscotch sauce:
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier, optional
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • candied orange peel for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Line with parchment paper.
  2. Heat the orange juice until hot. Put the dates in a bowl and pour the juice over them. Let dates soak for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  3. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cloves together. Set aside. Strain the dates from the orange juice, and set bot the juice and the dates aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, and then beat in the vanilla. Add one-third of the flour mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in half of the juice. Repeat the steps, ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the dates, nuts, and candied orange peel. Do not overmix.
  5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the top of the cake gets too dark before the end of baking time, loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake until done.) Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes; unfold, set onto a wire rack, and cool completely.
  6. To make the orange butterscotch sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, cream, juice, Cointreau, vanilla, and salt; whisk to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Transfer to an airtight jar.
  7. Serve the cake warm or room temperature, generously drizzled with warm sauce. (The sauce may separate after refrigeration. Simply reheat and stir thoroughly before serving.) Top with candied orange peel.
Notes
Recipe from Simply Citrus by Marie Asselin, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith.
Recipe by Lulu the Baker at https://luluthebaker.com/orange-date-walnut-cake-orange-butterscotch-sauce/