Sticky toffee pudding is a traditional holiday dessert dating back to the 1900s. It has two essential components: sponge cake and toffee sauce. The moist sponge cake is typically filled with chopped dates for a little extra sweetness. It’s served warm with a toffee sauce made with butter, cream, and brown sugar that gives it a rich taste and light texture.
The recipe is scaled for 12 servings, but in this video, we made enough for our whole office. The methods are all the same; just follow the recipe for how many guests you’d like to serve!
12 servings (1 average cupcake tin)
For the cakes:
1 cup dried, pitted medjool dates
2 Earl Grey tea bags
1 ½ cups hot water
1 stick unsalted butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Unflavored pan spray (as appropriate)
For the toffee sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Preparation:
1. Pan spray muffin tin. Preheat convection oven to 325°F (350°F for a conventional oven). Set first-listed unsalted butter out to soften.
2. Steep tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes.
3. Chop or pulse dates in a food processor, and let them soak in the hot tea.
4. In a stand mixer, cream softened butter with first-listed brown sugar until pale in color and light in texture. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl periodically to ensure proper mixing.
5. Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
6. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture incrementally until completely mixed. Add dates and any remaining tea. Fold until creamy.
7. Pour mixture into prepared muffin tin.
8. Place the cakes into the oven and bake until done (approximately 12-18 minutes). The cake should be moist, but when a toothpick is inserted into the center, it should come out clean. Note: The cake will fall if disturbed before the batter is set, so refrain from rotating it until at least 30 minutes have passed.
9. To make the toffee sauce, melt second-listed butter over low heat. Add cream and second-listed brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has fully dissolved.
10. Once the sauce is smooth, increase heat slightly and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
11. For final assembly, using a skewer, poke holes in the cakes and drizzle some of the toffee sauce on top.
12. Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a serving vessel.
13. Serve with remaining toffee sauce.
Make sure to adjust your cooking time and any other instructions accordingly, as doubling the recipe may require some modifications in the cooking process.
