The idea of these savory dates & parmesan mini-Bundt cakes were inspired by this Ramadan season. I used very traditional ingredients for this month with a cheesy twist to make the perfect side dish or appetizer.
The texture of these savory mini cakes is so fluffy and melts in your mouth. Also, these savory dates and parmesan mini cakes are super easy to prepare. And with very simple at hand ingredients.
I prepared this recipe in a mini-Bundt cake tray for a beautiful presentation on your iftar table. But you can easily swap to a muffin tray or even one big bread loaf tray.
These cute little dates and parmesan mini Bundt cakes are the perfect elegant side dish or they can be served with some spreadable cheese aside along with a cup of Moroccan tea, heaven!
Honestly, they are absolutely delicious to enjoy with anything at all but a drizzle of the honey balsamic sauce I paired with them.
The flavor of these savory mini cakes is easily adjustable to your liking. And you can mix and match them with the choice of cheese you want to add. And you can more or less date to the bread if you like more or less of that sweet touch in it.
I added a little combination of thyme and rosemary also to this bread, but this bread is also super delicious without the herbs if you want.
This recipe is perfect for your make-ahead preparations. You can make a big batch and store it in a closed container at room temperature for around 4 days. And to keep it fresher you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months 😊
Make sure you check my other Ramadan occasion-inspired recipes for some more ideas for your iftar.
Savory date and parmesan mini Bundt cakes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups of white flour 290g.
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup olive oil 100g
- 1 ¼ cup yoghurt 285g
- 1 cup parmesan cheese diced (150g)
- 1 tsp dry rosemary optional
- 1 tsp dry thyme optional
- ¾ cup dates diced (90g)
For the balsamic glaze :
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Additional ingredients:
- Tahini to brush the Bundt pan
- white sesame to sprinkle after the tahini
- nigella seeds or black sesame seeds to sprinkle after the tahini
Instructions
- Preheat your oven on 180 C °
For the cake:
- Sift together the flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Grind the herbs with some salt and mix with the dry ingredients. Set aside
- Then whisk together the eggs, sugar and the remaining 1 tbsp baking powder. Add the yoghurt and mix. then add the olive oil and mix. Then add the dry mixture into batches and mix until well mixed.
- Gently fold the dates and cheese to the mixture until fully incorporated.
- Brush your pan with tahini and sprinkle some sesame seeds and nigella seeds and pour the cake mixture into the mini-Bundt filling 2/3 of the cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes in 180 C° preheated oven. Remove from oven and Allow the cake to rest in pan for 10 minutes before flipping into a cooling rack.
- You can enjoy warm or after it cools down.
For the balsamic glaze:
- Whisk together all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle on the mini-cake while warm. Or serve as dipping aside.
Video
Notes
- baking tray: in this recipe, I used one of my favorite mini-Bundt cake trays linked in the article. but you can use any baking cake pan of any shape you like instead. make sure to increase the baking time for bigger pans like bread loaf pan and reduce it for smaller pans like muffin trays. increase or decrease by 10 minutes at the time and check if it is done with a wooden skewer before adding more time.
- cheese combinations: you can mix and match with cheeses of your choice. i recommend trying camembert cheese or a creamier texture. or fetta cubes for saltier taste. and also goa cheese combines well with this cake.
- dates ratio: if you like your bread on the sweeter side you can add more dates, or less also works.
- herbs: you can skip the herbs I added for the recipe or swap them for zaatar if you have them on hand also taste fabulous!
- storing: you can store those mini-cakes in a closed container at room temperature for up to 4 days for a fresher taste.
- making-ahead: you can also make those little cakes ahead of time and freeze them for up to 3 months. and let it defrost overnight in fridge or 30 min on countertop before warming it up little bit before serving. just make sure you don’t drizzle the glaze on the cakes after baking if you are planning on freezing.
- bread for every occasion: these mini bread cakes are perfect not only for iftar but for breakfast, brunch, or quick snack with some cheese aside and some tea or coffee. their 1 portion size makes the perfect for defrosting on need.