I love when we make sticky toffee pudding in work. I can never resist a small slice. Dark soft crumb with a toffee sauce, is for me, one of the best puds out there. And I say pud, as really, to call it a dessert is just too refined! And it’s good to be un-refined every now and then.
Sticky Toffee Cake
Ingredients
375g dates
250 ml strong tea
2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda- sifted
4 large eggs
250g muscovado sugar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
200g butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
350g self-raising flour- sifted
pinch of salt
ICING
300g unsalted butter
400g icing sugar
4 tablespoons of toffee sauce
2 tablespoons of milk
Method:
Carefully grease, flour and line three 6″ cake tins. Preheat the oven to 160˚C.
Leave the dates in the tea to infuse for 30 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and whizz until smooth, I use my magimix.
Using an electric mixer to whisk together the eggs, sugar and syrup until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the melted butter and then gently mix in the vanilla and puréed dates.
Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Spoon one third of the mixture into each tin, level and place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Check whether the cake is done by inserting a skewer or sharp knife into the centre; it should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tins.
To make the icing;
Beat together the butter and icing sugar until VERY pale and fluffy, this will take about 4 minutes of mixing in a food mixer. Add the toffee sauce, then the milk a little at a time until you have a creamy consistency.
Sandwich the cakes together generously with the icing and spread a thin layer all over to make the crumb layer. Chill the cake for 30 minutes, then coat the cake with the rest of the icing. Drizzle with some caramel for the topping and sprinkle with fudge chunks before serving.
Divine.