This cake is adapted from Woolworth’s “Taste”, a website and publication that the venerable Woolworth’s of South Africa puts out. A Tipsy Tart is a traditional South African dessert, somewhat akin to a Sticky Toffee Pudding in the U.K. You can imagine this as a boozy fortified version, with a bit more holiday spirit from the orange zest, cinnamon and spices. Serve it warm, with vanilla ice cream if you like the hot/cold contrast, or simply a dollop of whipped cream.
Tipsy Tart
This cake is adapted from Woolworth’s “Taste”, a website and publication that the venerable Woolworth’s of South Africa puts out. A Tipsy Tart is a traditional South African dessert, somewhat akin to a Sticky Toffee Pudding in the U.K. You can imagine this as a boozy fortified version, with a bit more holiday spirit from the orange zest, cinnamon and spices. Serve it warm, with vanilla ice cream if you like the hot/cold contrast, or simply a dollop of whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup boiling water
- 8 ounces (250 g) dates pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
For the syrup:
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup brandy
- ½ vanilla bean, or use 1 tablespoon extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Butter a 10” square or 9 x 12” ceramic baking dish.
- Pour the boiling hot water over the dates and stir in the baking soda.
- Place the dark brown sugar and orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend on low speed. This helps the orange zest release its oils and flavor into the sugar. After a minute or two, add the butter and beat on medium speed until the mixture is creamy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition to make sure they are evenly incorporated. Increase the speed and beat for 2 minutes until very thick and creamy.
- Add one third of the flour mixture to the bowl, mix, then add half of the date mixture. Add another third of flour, then the remaining dates and liquid, stopping to scrape the bowl down when needed. Add the final portion of flour, mix thoroughly, but don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until firm to the touch. Remove to a cooling rack.
- While the cake bakes, place sugar, butter, cinnamon stick, water, salt and vanilla bean or extract into a small saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, split it in half lengthwise and scrape the beans into the pot, then add the pod to the pot as well. Bring the mixture to a simmer, melting the butter, and whisk to combine. Now, you can turn the heat off and add the brandy if you want a very tipsy tart. Or, you can add the brandy carefully to the pot and bring it to a simmer, cooking off some of the alcohol if you want the dessert less tipsy. Be careful if you have a gas stove, as the brandy is flammable.
- As soon as the cake comes out, pour a third of the syrup over the cake. Once it has absorbed, pour another third in, and after that has absorbed, the final amount.
- Serve the cake warm, with ice cream. If you want to make this ahead of time, rewarm the cake in a low oven before serving.
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