Chocolate Date Cake
Ingredients
  1 cup (about 5 oz.)
chopped dried dates
  
                                  
  ⅓ cup
prepared espresso
  
                                  
  1 tsp.
baking soda
  
                                  
  12 oz.
bittersweet baking chocolate, divided
  
                                  
  3 tbsp.
light corn syrup, divided
  
                                  
  18 tbsp.
Kowalski's Unsalted Butter, room temperature, divided
  
                                  
  1 cup
sugar
  
                                  
  3
eggs
  
                                  
  1 tsp.
Kowalski's Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract
  
                                  
  ⅔ cup
flour, sifted
  
                                  
  1 ¼ cups
Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour
  
                                  
  ½ tsp.
kosher salt
  
                                  
  3 tbsp.
corn syrup, divided
  
                                  
  
- Latte Sauce, for serving
  
                      Directions
          - Preheat oven to 350°.
 - In a small saucepan, bring dates and espresso to a boil.
 - Reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 min.
 - Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda; let cool.
 - In a separate small saucepan, melt 7 oz. chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.
 - Stir in 2 tbsp. corn syrup; let cool.
 - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat 16 tbsp. butter with sugar until thick and pale.
 - Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
 - Add flours and salt; beat on high speed for 1 min.
 - Scrape bowl; with beater running, slowly stream in melted chocolate.
 - Scrape bowl again; beat on high for 1 min.
 - Fold in date mixture by hand.
 - Spray a 9" springform baking pan with cooking spray; line bottom only with parchment paper. Pour batter into pan.
 - Place cake pan on a baking sheet; bake in preheated oven until cake begins to crack and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (60-70 min.).
 - Remove pan from oven; cool cake in pan for 30 min.
 - Remove sides of pan; let cake cool completely.
 - In a small saucepan, melt remaining chocolate with butter and corn syrup over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.
 - Invert cake onto a cake plate; remove parchment paper.
 - Pour chocolate mixture over cake; let cool completely.
 - Slice cake; serve with latte sauce.
 
Tasty Tips:
- Cake will be very dark on top and around the edges. If desired, cover pan very loosely with foil in the last 10-20 min. of baking.
 - Avoid opening your oven while baking to prevent sinking in the middle (cake may sink slightly as it cools). Let cake cool completely before inverting on your cake plate.