Sticky Toffee Cake

Friday 26 February 2010



One of my favourite desserts over here has to be Sticky Toffee Pudding. So rich and lovely, and incredibly moreish. And to think it was only a few years ago that I discovered it!!



We were holidaying up in the Lake District and I picked up one of the Sticky Toffee Puddings made by Cartnell and I was immediately bowled over. For a store bought pud, it was fabulous. So fabulous in fact that we ended up picking one up almost every day of our holiday and sitting back in our holiday cottage each night scarfing it down with delight!!



But what is a sticky toffee pudding . . . not much more than a tasty and moist date cake, topped with a luciously rich toffee sauce. They are incredibly yummy.



This cake is not quite as rich as a sticky toffee pudding, but my oh my it is delicious in it's own right.



The cake moreishly filled with dates and that toffee icing gilding the top is just to die for. You'll find yourself getting up in the middle of the night and raiding the larder for

just . . . one . . . more . . . piece.


Trust me. Would I lie to you? I think not!!




*Sticky Toffee Cake*
Makes 18 serving
Printable Recipe

Our favourite pudding in a cake!! This is a real winner!

8 ounces dried dates (1/2 pound)
300ml of water (1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Baking soda)
6 ounces soft light brown sugar (13 1/2 TBS)
4 ounces butter, room temperature (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
2 large free range eggs, beaten
6 ounces self raising flour (1 1/3 cups)

For the icing:
6 TBS double cream (Whipping cream can be used)
3 ounces soft light brown sugar (scant 7 TBS)
1 ounce butter (2 TBS)
1 ounce icing sugar, sifted (3 1/2 TBS)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter and base line a shallow 11 by 7 inch baking tin. Set aside.

Cut each date into 3 or 4 pices. Place in a saucepan along with the water. Bring to the boil, and then boil uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the dates have softened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and set aside to cool.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the eggs and then fold in the cooled date mixture. Stir in the flour.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface. Bake for 35 minutes, until risen and just set. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

For the icing, gently heat the cream, sugar and butter together in a small pan until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and then cook, uncovered for 4 minutes, until golden. Do not stir. Leave to cool. When cold, beat in the icing sugar until smooth. Using the back of a wet spoon, spread it over the cake. Leave to set before cutting into 18 rectangles.

22 comments

  1. Oooh that looks deliciously moist and sticky (in a good way!). I love dates!

    Btw, in your lemon drizzle cake, did you use softened or melted butter? Thanks much! I can't wait to make this one.

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  2. I may have dreams of a Sticky Toffee Cake, in a good way ;).

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  3. Oh,divine! I will be making this cake this weekend for sure! Marie---I love you tons & I'm hoping you're alright tonight...been thinking about you all day. Let me know how you're doing, please. A big hug for you tonight! All WILL be well!

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  4. This looks like the perfect winter cake Marie! I wonder if I can make it into cupcakes with a toffee frosting instead of sauce... (Looking for cupcake recipes for my mom's birthday next Friday...) Yum!

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  5. Oh, that looks heavenly! We love Sticky Toffee Cake/Pudding in our home too and of course it has to be served with warm custard.

    Maria
    x

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  6. That gooey frosting is calling me... I must make this one weekend soon! Thank you, Marie--LOVE YOU HEAPS :O) ((BIG HUGS))

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  7. Oh Marie! My sweet-toothed mother will love you for this!
    xoxo Pattie

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  8. ooooooooooo MY GOODNESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    PERFECT
    JUST SOOOOOOOO PERFECT !!

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  9. Sticky Toffee Pudding is such a delight and definitely worth the 'scarfing' lol! Your cake version looks very good too.

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  10. Marie, this is absolutely geougeous and delicious!!! Huggs dear and have a nice weekend with Todd, take care and dont work so much!! besoossss, gloria

    This toffe is to die for!!!

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  11. My very favourite pudding just morphed into my very favourite cake!!
    Millie ^_^

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  12. This is inspiring, Thankyou!
    But I think I would like to put ginger in the icing!

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  13. That looks too good for words! And that icing .... oh dear, can't step on the scales for fear of the weight increase! Yum.

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  14. Toffee is my flavor of choice for this week. I think I've eaten at least 6 Heath Bars but I would have like a slice of your Toffee Cake!

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  15. Marie, I made this yesterday! Yippee! When I saw it on your blog I knew that it must be made and that I would love it:) I didn't have any dates, so I used raisins, and didn't have cream so I just used milk. May I say that it was a huge success! The taste took me right back to my childhood in NZ. They do a lot of English type of cakes there:) This was so soooo yummy that I think I have to make it again for our RS birthday celebration this week. Thank you!!!! (There is one piece left and I am off to have it for breakfast right now!)

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  16. Just made the cupcakes, they looks soooo yummy!! But can't taste them as they're going to my moms tomorrow: she's taking them to work....

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  17. Thanks Marie, my mom loved these!!! Just put up a short post about them, linking back to this recipe!

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  18. Aah dates. Who woulda thunk it?

    I've heard of sticky toffee ice cream so this must be divine.

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  19. Thank you so much. I've been hunting for a recipe for this after tasting it in a roadside cafe on an otherwise deadly journey to the Hull ferry. It's absolutely gorgeous!

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  20. Hi, I was wanting to make this as two cakes sandwiched together, do you think the quantities of ingredients in the recipe would suffice for two standard cake tins? Or one cake tin with the cake being sliced horizontally once baked?

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  21. Hi anonymous, I would bake it in a deep sandwich tin, probably about a 7 or 8 inch round, and then slice it through the middle to fill.

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  22. I made this today and I have to say that it was a big hit with everybody. Coming from the Lake District, I know how yummily famous Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding is and this for me, was the nearest version to that famous treat that I have ever tasted. I served it slightly warm with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Thank you soooo much for sharing this recipe, I will definitely be making this again and again.

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