Sticky Praline Mini Cakes
 
Makes 12 Mini Cakes
Ingredients
  • 1 (6-ounce) package pitted dates
  • 1⅓ cups boiling water
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup chopped toasted pecans*
  • Praline Sauce (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: flaked sea salt
Praline Sauce
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine dates and 1⅓ cups boiling water. Cover and let stand until dates are softened, about 30 minutes. (Do not drain.) Transfer date mixture to the container of a blender; process until smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three additions alternately with date mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Fold in pecans.
  5. Spray 1 (6-well) mini cake pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon half of batter into prepared wells, filling about two-thirds full. Gently tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to settle batter and release any air bubbles.
  6. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and trim bottoms. Leave oven on.
  7. Clean pan, and spray with baking spray with flour. Repeat procedure with remaining batter. Serve warm with Praline Sauce. Garnish with sea salt, if desired.
Praline Sauce
  1. In a medium saucepan, bring brown sugar and butter just to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat, and add pecans and salt. Simmer, whisking constantly, until sugar fully dissolves and pecans smell toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add cream. Cook, whisk constantly, until cream is fully combined and beginning to simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Serve warm. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
*We used Cane River Pecan Co. pecans.
Recipe by Louisiana Cookin' at https://louisianacookin.com/sticky-praline-mini-cakes/