Few things excite me like a sticky toffee pudding. The heavenly combination of moist, dark, date-studded sponge, drenched in a rich buttery toffee sauce and served with scoops of cold vanilla ice cream. I baked my first date cake from the Gjelina cookbook a few years back and it has become tradition around the holidays to make a sticky pudding. I’ve spent weeks tinkering with this recipe- creaming the butter, playing around with shades of sugar, whole eggs and so on. I was after a dense moist sponge so I cut back on the flour, and added an egg plus a yolk for richness. I’ve included a small amount of sourdough discard in the batter, along with fresh vanilla bean and dark brown sugar for deep molasses notes. For a lighter fluffier cake, I’ve shared some tips below.
Ingredients You’ll Need For The Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Dates: Autumn in California is magical, and if you can find fresh dates at the market try out some specialty varieties here.
Barhi dates are delicious in this cake, they are soft with a rich caramel sweetness. Khadrawy and Medjools are also wonderful.
Unsalted Butter. For both the cake and the toffee sauce.
Dark Brown Sugar. For moisture and deep rich notes of molasses.
Eggs. Room temperature. One whole egg + yolk will result in a richer more decadent cake. Two whole eggs, in a lighter fluffier sponge.
Flour. Hayden Flour Mills All Purpose Sonora is my go to.
Salt.Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
Baking Soda and Powder. Baking soda is used to soften the dates by breaking down their fibers, baking powder for lift and a lighter texture.
Vanilla. Bean, extract or paste.
Heavy Cream. Rich, smooth, silky sauce.
Variations
•To make this without sourdough, add 2 additional tablespoons of all purpose flour for a total of 140g.
•For a fluffier cake, use room temperature butter and cream it with the sugar and vanilla. Add two whole eggs, followed by the discard. Finally, fold in the flour followed by the date puree.
•Spice it up for the holidays. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger…
Sourdough Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
For the sauce and serving:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 (250g) cups packed dark brown sugar
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, scrape or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 8 X 8 inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dates and baking soda. Pour the boiling water over the top and set it aside for 15-20 minutes to allow the dates to soften. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, or mash with a fork.
- Melt the butter and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale and frothy. Whisk in the sourdough discard. Whisk in the date paste and melted butted until well combined, then stir in your flour mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over, pour half of the toffee sauce. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream and more sauce.
To make the toffee sauce
- While the cake is baking make the toffee sauce. Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and melt, add brown sugar and continually stir them both together until sugar has dissolved and it starts to bubble.
- Gradually add cream ( it will bubble a little ) while whisking. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean (if using) and the pod and simmer on low heat for 5-7 mins, whisking until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt. If using vanilla extract or bean pasta, add it with the salt. Set aside to cool.
Notes
*If you are not using sourdough discard, add an additional two tablespoons of flour for a total of 140g
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