Upside-Down Date Cake With Marmalade Recipe (2024)

I made this yesterday. This is a great recipe but the timing 60-75 minutes was way off for me. It was done in 40-45 in my oven. I had the timer set for 55 and it was a good thing I looked early and removed it at 50.. It ended up a bit too dry which was a shame since the flavors are perfect.

I used Nagami Kumquats. They are much larger than the ones that are traditionally found in the local grocery stores. The marmalade took longer to cook because of that, but it held its shape well. I couldn’t find ground star anise so ground it myself in an old coffee grinder I use exclusively for spices. I think this cake was definitely worth the effort and will make it again!

I honestly just used this for the marmalade recipe, although one day I’d like to do the cake as well. 350 grams of kumquats yielded three pints (slight, but definitely more than two full pints). I used Chinese five spice powder, rounded .25teas, since I didn’t have anise. I did not bother with the orange juice, and used Cointreau instead of cognac. It tastes amazing!

I just made this and it was delicious. That said, those “8” servings are huge. If and when I make this again, I want to figure out a way to make 12 servings. Maybe use muffin cups or find some cake pans that hold enough for just one serving.

I used a whole quart of pre-prepared marmalade on the bottom, ground hazelnuts instead of almonds, just 90g sugar, cream instead of milk, added cardamon and vanilla, skipped the mascarpone. took it out at 50 mins per some other comments and as the skewer was coming out clean by that time, but really it ought to have stayed in the oven a bit longer-- it was well done on the outside, less so in the center.Next time, I will let the outside develop even more of a crust. still delicious.

Cake was WELL DONE @45 min! I would check at 40 min or earlier.Recipe took all afternoon to prepare. The marmalade looked and tasted like….marmalade. Next time will just warm up some jam (like stonewall kitchen tangerine marmalade) and add a bit of cognac and pinch of spice and save myself the hour.Looks gorgeous tho!

I make a lot of cakes and this is my new favorite. I don’t do alcohol so I subbed a strong earl grey tea for the cognac (I soaked the dates in it before chopping them too). So good served warm. Wowee!

I used pre-made marmalade, but otherwise followed the recipe. I have never had such a tender cake. It's magical.

Wow-This was an amazing cake! As recommended by someone else, I added cardamom to the cake as well as the marmalade, which is AMAZING with kumquats! Before adding the dates and flour, I placed them in a food processor to thoroughly distribute the sticky dates as well as reduce the size of what could be a weird "fruit cake" texture. It worked beautifully. DO NOT substitute Cointreau for Cognac in the mascarpone. I made butter :) The cake is ideal with a side of vanilla ice cream, instead.

Need to adjust for altitude

I recommend using a 9" pan. It gives a more even bake and lessens the chances of over baking. Also toss the dates in the flour mixture, it suspends and distributes them more evenly. Lastly, paint the sides of the cake with liquid from the additional jam that you add to the top after baking. Really delicious cake, and it gets better with age.

This was great. Loved the texture and flavor of the cake. It was light yet warmly spiced. I’m not a big fan of dates, so was not surprised that that was the only part of the cake I didn’t like. I might leave them out next time or try adding nuts instead.

This cake is just what I was looking for. Medjool dates offer quite a bit of sweetness so I decreased the sugar to 1/2 cup. I also subbed unsweetened applesauce for half of the butter. The texture and crumb turned out fantastic and the flavors are on point. I baked in a convection oven on a baking sheet for 25 minutes then turned and baked for another 25 minutes. Perfectly baked with that timing.

I made this and the marmalade burned on the bottom of the pan. I didn't have a spring form pan in the right size and could not find one. So I used a regular 8" and used parchment and butter to no avail. The cake was great and will make again but not with the marmalade in the bottom. I think I will use it as a sauce after it is out of the pan and ready to eat. I will make both again since they were delish. Just not in the manner as written here.

I used small Cara Cara oranges that were getting old. Tasted fine, but they needed to be sliced MUCH thinner.

I made this about a month ago. My husband and I loved it. It has so many layers of flavors, typically Yotam. One thing I did do because I get concerned about the sugar, I cut down on the dates. At 60 minutes, I thought it was a little overcooked but it worked to err on the side of dry versus wet. The dates + marmalade keep it moist. This is the most sublime + sophisticated upside down cake!

I also found that the outer rim of the cake was cooked long before the center. There was an unpleasant difference between the outer and inner parts of the cake. The batter needs to be changed, perhaps lightened, so that it all gets done evenly. Lastly, the mascarpone cream was unpleasantly heavy and bland. It took a lot of extra flavorings to make it anything other than a thick wet blanket. Having said all this, I plan to hijack the flavor combination, perhaps in an English steamed pudding.