DATE CAKE WITH ORANGE-BLOSSOM SYRUP (MARTHA STEWART LIVING)

DATE CAKE WITH ORANGE-BLOSSOM SYRUP (MARTHA STEWART LIVING) image

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 19

ORANGE BLOSSOM SYRUP
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
CAKE
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, room termperature
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
SERVING
Whipped cream, lightly sweetened
3 oranges segmented

Steps:

SYRUP In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stire in orange-blossom water, Let cool. CAKE 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush bottom and sides of a standard 9x5 loaf pan with butter; coat with flour, tapping out excess. 2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 - 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla; beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low. add flour mixture in 3 batches., alternating with buttermilk in 2 batches, beating until just combined. Fold in walnuts and dates. 3. Transfer batter to pan. Bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean (40 - 45 minutes). Remove from oven; evenly pierce holes at 1-inch intervals in top of cake (all the way to bottom) with skewer, then pour syrup over cake. Let cool in pan. 4. Serving: Serve slices of cake with whipped cream dusted with cinnamon and orange segments