Sticky Date Cake with Dulce De Leche (Slow Cooker)
Sticky date is such a perpetual favourite, so here is a make-and-pour version for the slow cooker, baked low and slow for 4 hours. The mouthfeel of the crumb is spectacular, given this is achieved without the heat and aeration of a regular oven.
Serves 8-10.
Ingredients 10
450 ml full-cream milk (whole milk)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
180 g dates, pitted, chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
150 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
220 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
3 eggs
225 g self-raising flour
To Serve
300 g dulce de leche, see my recipe
salt flakes
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Method 6
Warm the and in a saucepan over a low–medium heat, watching closely to ensure it doesn’t boil. Once warm, add the and cook over a low heat for about 3 minutes, or until the dates are beginning to soften. Remove from the heat. Add the and set aside for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the cake.
Cream the and in the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until light and creamy.
Add the , one at a time, until incorporated. Gently sift in the , then pour in the milk and date mixture. Whisk until combined, being careful not to overwork it.
Set the slow cooker to low and heat for about 5 minutes. Grease and line the bowl of your slow cooker with baking paper (use a generous amount of paper so you can lift the cake out easily after cooking).
Gently pour the batter into the bowl and place into the slow cooker. Cover with a tea towel (dish towel) before closing the lid (this will prevent any condensation dripping into your cake batter). Cook for 4 hours.
Open the lid and allow to cool before gently removing the cake from the bowl. Cut into slices or thick wedges and smear with copious amounts of and a sprinkling of salt flakes.
Katrina Meynink's tips
If you are concerned about hot spots in your slow cooker, you can pour this batter into a lined 22 cm (8 3/4 in) springform cake tin (or one that fits inside your slow cooker) and put this in the bowl instead. In this case, cut yourself a length of baking paper about 30 × 15 cm (12 × 6 in) to act as handles underneath the cake tin. This will help you lower the tin into the cooker and get it out again. Follow the cooking times noted above. Using a cake tin may increase your cooking time slightly, as it is another layer of insulation between the heat source and the cake batter. Check for doneness at 15-minute intervals.
