Sticky Toffee Date Cake

The picture in Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2 didn't look like the pudding sort but I have been wanting to do something like this for a while so I gave it a try.

I adapted the recipe and made cupcake versions topped with the toffee sauce. I brought some to work and saved a couple in the fridge for myself. This morning, I removed the cupcake liner and warmed it in the oven for 20 seconds to get the picture above.


Sticky Toffee Date Cake
makes 20 cupcakes or an 8-inch square cake

1 1/2 cups or 200g pitted dates, finely chopped
1/3 cup water, boiling hot
125g or 1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Toffee Sauce
250g or 2 sticks butter
1 cup cream
1 2/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven at 350F. In a bowl, pour the hot water over the dates and set aside until the water has been absorbed. Cream the butter and sugar until pale before beating in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter and combine well. Mix in the dates and milk. Scoop into cupcake liners (1/2 full only) or lined cake tin.
Bake for 25 minutes if making cupcakes or about 40-50 minutes if making a cake.

To make the toffee sauce, place all the ingredients in a large saucepan (bubbling mixture may boil over) over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Turn up the heat and simmer rapidly for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. Spoon over the cake before serving.

Verdict: A compact cake that could have had more of a date flavour. Maybe it was the dates I used. The toffee was lovely though and its a great make ahead dessert.