Christmas Cake for People Who Don’t Like Christmas Cake

A rich, sticky-toffee-inspired cake packed with dates, dark muscovado sugar, golden syrup, black treacle, and warming Christmas spices. Freezer friendly and with an alcohol-free option.

By @jadesbites

Original recipe source

Cook time: 130 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 kg pitted dates
• 500 ml strong black tea or alcohol
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200 g unsalted butter
• 200 g dark muscovado sugar
• 100 g golden syrup
• 50 g black treacle
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0 soaked dates and soaking liquid

Instructions

1. Chop the pitted dates and soak them in 500ml of strong black tea or your chosen alcohol for at least 1 hour. For a quicker method, simmer the dates with 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda for 20 minutes and then allow them to cool.
2. Preheat your oven to 160°C fan and line your chosen cake tins.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat 200g of unsalted butter and 200g of dark muscovado sugar together until well combined.
4. Mix in 100g of golden syrup, 50g of black treacle, 4 large eggs, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract into the butter and sugar mixture.
5. Fold in 250g of plain flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 3 tsp of mixed spice, 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground ginger, and ½ tsp of salt into the wet mixture.
6. Stir through the soaked dates and their soaking liquid into the cake batter.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tins.
8. Bake the large cake for 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours 10 minutes, the mini cakes for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, and the cupcakes for approximately 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
9. Allow the cakes to cool completely before wrapping them.
10. For the alcohol-free version, the cakes can be frozen. The alcohol version can be stored and fed as it matures.