This Brittish-inspired sticky toffee pudding bundt cake is simple enough for everyday eating, but festive enough for your next holiday dessert. It’s on my list of top favorite cake recipes ever.
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Hello, my friends!
How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the season. We went to the tabernacle choir Christmas concert on Friday with our older kids and if there’s one way to get you in the season of Christmas, it’s that. It was beautiful.
I am really happy to be here. And very excited for today’s recipe, which I’ve actually been waiting for a whole year to share with you. I wanted to post this recipe in December because it’s just kind of special. And December is definitely a special month with all the holidays happening.
Where sticky toffee pudding comes from
Have you ever heard of sticky toffee pudding?
If it sounds a little scary, I was right in your same boat a few years ago.
But oh my friends, trust me this recipe is anything but scary. I love it so much.
Don’t let the title fool you. This is no pudding. And there’s no pudding in it.
I decided to do just a little research via Google (my bff) so I could sound somewhat intelligent about sticky toffee pudding in case telling you that it was good just didn’t cut it.
There was no mention of why it’s called a pudding in my thirty seconds of research so please enlighten me if you know.
But I did find out that it is a British dessert that is made of a sponge cake that’s sweetened with dates covered with a toffee sauce.
Oh that toffee sauce. Yum.
But before I go off on that tangent, I have a question.
Does the fact that this cake is partially sweetened with dates scare you?
If you are thinking they are sticky and gooey and remind you of a large raisin, believe me. I get it completely.
But please, please please tell me you will give this cake a try.
I use large Medjool dates for this recipe that I buy in the produce section at Costco. They are easy to pit with your fingers because they are large and soft.
The dates are actually all blended to smithereens in this cake (which may or may not be the case for the more authentic sticky toffee pudding recipes).
They add their delicious sweetness and flavor to the amazing cake and I promise you will not even know they are there -it’s not at all like the raisin in the oatmeal cookie issue, trust me.
Toffee sauce
Okay now that we got that out of the way. Let’s talk about that toffee sauce. It’s absolutely divine. I actually want to put it on waffles and ice cream and pretty much every other thing that I possibly can. Be warned that you may want to double the sauce if you are like me.
I sometimes make a honey variation of the sauce by substituting honey for the brown sugar. I’ve found that adding a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the honey version takes it from good to great. It’s a completely different flavor than the brown sugar version, but both are amazing on this cake (and just by themselves too in case you were wondering).
How to serve this sticky toffee pudding bundt cake
For the past couple of years we’ve actually served this sticky toffee pudding cake on Christmas. It’s that kind of special. And worthy of a special day.
But it’s also been served in our house as just a regular old Monday night family night dessert. Nobody complains about that either, believe me.
My favorite way to eat this cake is warm. If it has cooled down, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. And make sure your sauce is warm too. Yum.
For an extra special treat, try drizzling a couple of teaspoons of heavy whipping cream on top of the sauce. Yum. Google also told me that it would be amazing with ice cream. Thank you Google, I will definitely have to try that. I’m quite certain you will be correct.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Bundt Cake
This Brittish-inspired sticky toffee pudding bundt cake is simple enough for everyday eating, but festive enough for your next holiday dessert. It's on my list of top favorite cake recipes ever.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 9 ounces (about 14-16) medjool dates pitted
- 1 ⅛ cup boiling water
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 9 tablespoons butter (4.5 ounces) room temperature
- 1 ⅛ cup (8.25 ounces) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ⅞ cups (9.4 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Sauce:
- ¾ cup (5.75 ounces) packed brown sugar see note for honey variation
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- pinch salt
- additional heavy whipping cream for drizzling optional
Instructions
For Cake:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a bundt pan and dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess flour.
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In a blender jar, add pitted dates, boiling water, baking soda and vanilla extract. Blend for 20 to 30 seconds until smooth and let sit for 10-15 minutes while preparing the rest of the cake.
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In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar with a handheld or stand mixer until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and with a wooden spoon, mix until combined.
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Fold in the date mixture until combined, being careful not to overmix. It’s okay if it’s not completely mixed. It’s kind of pretty having some swirls of dark and lighter color in the batter and it still tastes amazing.
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Spread batter evenly in the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in preheated oven until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake or the cake will be dry.
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Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the bundt pan. Then flip onto a serving plate or a cooling rack.
For Sauce:
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Combine the sugar (see note for honey variation), butter, cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and the sauce is smooth, about 7-9 minutes.
To Serve:
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Slice the cake into individual servings and pour a few tablespoons of the warm sauce on top. My favorite way to eat this cake is slightly warm. It’s also delicious drizzled with a few teaspoons of heavy cream in addition to the sauce.
Recipe Notes
1. For the sauce, I sometimes make a honey variation by substituting ½ cup honey for the brown sugar and add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. It tastes completely different than the brown sugar version, but is still very good.
2. I use large Medjool dates for this recipe that I buy in the produce section at Costco. I pit them by digging my fingers into their soft centers and pulling out the pit by hand.
3. This cake can be made up to a day in advance if covered well so it doesn’t dry out. The sauce can be made up to a week or two in advance and refrigerated. After being refrigerated, it warms up easily in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
4. I’ve never tried it, but I’m guessing this cake would work just fine being made in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. If you try it, keep an eye on the time closely, as it may take a bit less time to bake.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text © The Cook’s Treat
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