A dairy-free oat milk caramel ties it all together.

Jessica Seinfeld knows a thing or two about a balanced dessert. Her cookbook, Not Too Sweet: 100 Dessert Recipes for Those Who Want More with Just a Little Less, contains a litany of wholesome sweets that are adaptable to a number of dietary restrictions. Case in point: This incredibly luscious — yet gluten-free and dairy-free optional — sticky date cake with rum caramel sauce.

“Maple syrup and dates make this cake a welcome treat at the end of a meal,” Seinfeld writes. And we can see why. The 11 Medjool dates add a fudgy texture that your guests will be craving long after they’ve left the table.

“Reducing oat milk with a little honey into a caramel was a breakthrough moment for us in our test kitchen,” Seinfeld writes. “We could do an entire book of recipes using it.” Which means that anyone in your life with lactose-intolerance or a dairy allergy is about to experience a small, kitchen revolution. And if you’re not avoiding gluten or dairy products, a bite of this delicious dessert may give you a push to integrate gluten-free and plant-based ingredients into your baking routine.

Jessica Seinfeld’s Sticky Date Cake with Rum Caramel Sauce

Serves 8

Ingredients

Cake

11 Medjool dates (242 g), pitted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
⅓ cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup (148 g) gluten-free baking flour, spooned and leveled
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (dairy-free, if desired)

Rum Caramel Sauce

Oat milk caramel (see instructions below)
1 tablespoon dark rum or bourbon

Instructions

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square metal baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom and up two opposite sides with parchment paper, leaving 1-inch overhangs.
For the cake: Put the dates and baking soda in a food processor. Add the boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes, or until very soft. (Make sure all of the dates are submerged in the water.)
Puree the date mixture until very smooth, scraping down the sides with a silicone spatula as necessary. Mix in the maple syrup and vanilla. Make sure this mixture is cooled to room temperature before blending in the egg (you don’t want to scramble it). Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse several times until well incorporated.
Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and level the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 28 to 34 minutes. Let cool on a wire cooling rack for 25 minutes. Grab the edges of the parchment and lift the cake onto the wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
For the rum caramel sauce: Warm the oat milk caramel and stir in the rum.

To serve, slice the cake and divide among plates. Top with a small scoop of ice cream and drizzle with the rum caramel sauce. The cake will keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to four days.

Oat Milk Caramel

Makes about ⅔ cup

Ingredients

2 cups(480ml) store-bought oatmilk (We use Oatly)
¼ cup (60 ml) honey
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

In a medium high-sided saucepan, whisk together the oat milk and honey over medium-high heat.
Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium so it simmers. (Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil over.)
Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, whisking occasionally, until it turns caramel color and starts to thicken.
Once it has reduced to about ⅔ cups (160 ml), remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Use right away or keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Excerpted from NOT TOO SWEET: 100 Dessert Recipes for Those Who Want More with Just a Little Less by Jessica Seinfeld. Copyright © 2024 by Jessica Seinfeld. Interior photography © Mark Weinberg. Reprinted by permission of Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC