Vegan Sticky Pumpkin Date Cake
I wanted to create a dessert for the holidays that embodied all of my favorite flavors of the season. This cake is a hybrid of a pumpkin loaf cake, sticky toffee pudding, and a bit of pumpkin pie in terms of flavor. It gets it’s moist spongy texture from date and pumpkin puree. Fresh grated nutmeg and ginger along with ground cinnamon give a perfume to the cake. The warm toffee sauce served over the cake makes it decadent. The best part of this cake is that it’s vegan, and for such a heavy cake, leaves you feeling light.
Vegan Sticky Pumpkin Date Cake with Toffee Sauce
1.5 cups date puree
15 oz canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (packed)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup date syrup
1 cup whole pecans
Toffee Sauce
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
13.5 oz can coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the inside of a bundt pan well with coconut oil.
To begin make the date puree, take 1.5 cups of medjool dates with pits removed and add to a liquid measuring cup. Pour enough boiling water to just cover the top. Let soak for 15-20 minutes, and then use a stick blender to blend the dates and water together into a thick paste in the container.
In a mixing bowl add the date puree, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, dark brown sugar, and coconut milk. Whisk together to combine. Add the grated nutmeg, grated ginger, ground cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, and then whisk to combine.
Mix in flour, baking soda, and desiccated coconut then stir to combine.
In the bottom of the bundt pan add the date syrup and whole pecans, spoon the cake batter over the top evenly.
Bake the cake until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean, it’s a dense cake don’t be afraid how long it takes in your oven. It took one hour and 15 minutes for the cake to cook all the way through.
Allow the cake to cool slightly, and turn out onto a cooling rack. It is important to turn it out while a bit warm otherwise the sticky pecans may cling to the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
To make the toffee sauce: add the brown sugar to a sauce pot, turn the heat to medium and cook until the sugar melts and bubbles. It’ll take several minutes for it to start to caramelize. Add the coconut milk and whisk to combine, add the salt and vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half, stirring until thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
