Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Updated: Feb 3, 2022
Regardless of anything else I believe one thing we can all agree on is that Sticky Toffee Pudding is an ELITE pudding. The best of the best. The Mary Berry of all puddings if you will.
I love a twist on a classic so I'm *very* excited to share this beauty with you. She's fluffy, gooey and indulgent asf - an all round winner in my eyes!
For the cake:
- 200g pitted dates
- 350ml boiling water
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g dark brown sugar
- 120g unsalted butter, softened
- 300g self raising flour
- 3 medium eggs
- 1/2tsp salt
- 1tsp vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
- 375g icing sugar
- 120g unsalted butter, softened
- 3tbsp milk
- 1tsp vanilla extract
For the toffee sauce:
- 100g dark brown sugar
- 60ml double cream
- 60g unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1tsp vanilla extract
Begin by preheating the oven to 180c/170c fan and greasing and lining two 8inch cake tins. Carefully mix the boiling water and bicarbonate in a bowl, cut the dates into small pieces and stir in. They will slowly melt into a gooey mix so keep this in mind when chopping the dates. (If you don't want any chunks in the cake, be sure to dice them up finely.) Leave to the side to cool while you make the cake batter.
For the cake batter, begin by creaming together both sugars and the butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Crack in the eggs, salt and vanilla and stir well. Add the flour and beat until well incorporated. Finally stir in the dates including any liquid left in the bowl. Split the cake batter equally between the two cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool for a while in the tin before turning the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
While the cakes are cooling, make the toffee sauce. Begin by slowly melting the butter, cream and sugar in a pan over a low heat. Once the sugar has melted, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Keep stirring for a few minutes until it thickens. Stir in the vanilla and salt to taste then leave to the side to cool while you make the buttercream.
For the buttercream, measure the icing sugar and butter into a large bowl (If you have a mixer use this as it will make your buttercream super fluffy). Gently mix the two together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk and vanilla and once the mix starts to come together, beat it on high for around 5 minutes.
To assemble the cake dollop a small spoon of the buttercream onto your serving plate and put one of the cakes face down on top of it (this helps your cake from sliding about as you are trying to ice it). Spread a third of the buttercream over the cake then sandwich together with the other cake, face down again to give you a flat top for the drizzle later. Spread the remaining buttercream evenly over the cake. Once you're happy with the finish, use a spoon to drip the toffee sauce down the sides of the cake. Take your time doing this, using the first couple of drips to guide you. Pour the rest of the toffee sauce on the top and gently encourage it to the edges to match up with your drips.