Cinnamon Date Crumb Cake
This cinnamon date crumb cake is guaranteed to make your kitchen smell like a bakery. It features dates that add a natural sweetness to the cake with warm notes of cinnamon and cardamom. Topped with a brown sugar cinnamon crumble and finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing, it has a soft, tender crumb that melts in your mouth. This cake is the kind of recipe you’ll come back to again and again.
Ingredients You’ll Need
for the cake:
- Milk
- Date paste
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Salt
For the crumble:
- Brown sugar
- All purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted Butter
For the icing:
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
What is Date Paste?
Date paste is blended dates that have been pureed into a smooth, thick mixture. In this recipe, the date paste is mixed with milk and baking soda first to soften and loosen it, then mashed before being added to the cake batter.
You can find date paste in the baking aisle or dried fruit section at most grocery stores. It’s also commonly available at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean markets. If you can’t find it, you can make your own by soaking pitted Medjool dates in hot water for 10 minutes, then blending until smooth.
Watch how we made it:
Cinnamon Date Crumb Cake
Ingredients
For the Crumble
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter cold & cubed
For the Cake
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups thick date paste
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda divided
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 4-5 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the crumble: Mix together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using your fingers or a fork, work it into the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until the butter breaks down into small pieces and the mixture becomes crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- In the microwave or in a small saucepan, warm the milk until hot but not boiling. In a small bowl, add the date paste, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and hot milk. Set aside.
- In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Mash the date paste into the milk using a fork or whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and no lumps remain. Add the date-milk mixture to the butter mixture and whisk until everything is combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Mix just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top. Bake at 350℉ for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Whisk together the icing ingredients and drizzle over the cake. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add 1 tsp of milk at a time until it reaches desired consistency.
