Sticky Toffee Pudding

Don’t you love the good old fashioned classics like this that are just like your grandma used to make? I love sticky toffee pudding cake! It may take a little bit of effort because you have to boil and puree the dates but I’m telling you, it is well worth it!

[post_ads]I’d say the only way to eat this cake is warm, even if that means you have to reheat it. I just love the way the sauce soaks into the warm cake and keeps it moist and perfectly tender (note that I took photos of the cake sliced into when it was cool I also had to add the sauce once cool so the sauce didn’t immediately spread for the photos. So, with that said this cake will be even more moist than it may appear). The flavors of this cake are simple yet it’s a flavor that will have you coming back time and time again. You know, that toffee flavor we all can’t get enough of.

This is a dessert that would be perfectly fitting for your holiday table and it’s one you definitely shouldn’t pass by! Let’s face it, when something is served up in individual portions like this who wouldn’t love them? Dieters downfall right here, but hey isn’t that what the holidays are for? At least we’ve got portion control going on with these :).

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

Prep Time: 25 minutes

 
Cook Time: 25 minutes

 
Yield: 10 cupcake size servings

 
Ingredients

  

Cake

6 oz dried, pitted Medjool dates (about 12)
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups (5.8 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (5.7 oz) packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Toffee Sauce

1/3 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup (5.2 oz) packed light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10 wells of a muffin tin well and dust with flour, shaking out excess, set aside.

Add dates and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then add baking soda and boil, stirring occasionally, 1 minute longer. Remove from heat, cover saucepan with lid and rest 10 minutes, then puree (the water and dates) in a food processor or blender. Set aside to cool.

[post_ads]In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until mixture become lighter in shade. Mix in egg then mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract. With mixer set on low speed, add in half of the flour mixture and mix until combined, then mix in pureed date mixture and finish by mixing in remaining half of the flour mixture.

Divide mixture among prepared cupcake pan, filling each about 2/3 full (about 1/3 cup at a time). Bake in preheated oven 17 - 19 minutes. Meanwhile prepare toffee sauce (about halfway through so it's still warm for serving).

Cool cakes in cupcake pan 5 minutes then run a butter knife around edges to loosen. Plate cakes (you can either serve the upright or rotate, if rotating to bottom side you may likely want to cut off about 1/2-inch just to level so they lay flat). Poke tops about 10 times with a toothpick then drizzle toffee sauce over tops. Serve warm.

For the toffee sauce:
In a small saucepan combined butter, cream and brown sugar. Heat mixture over medium-high heat stirring constantly until mixture reaches a boil, then allow to boil 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm over cakes. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container and reheat before serving.

Recipe source: inspired by Bon Appetit and http://www.cookingclassy.com