Description
A moist, rich British-style sticky toffee pudding cake made with chopped dates and soaked in a warm, homemade salted caramel sauce. This easy one-bowl recipe is perfect for comfort food lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups pitted and chopped Medjool dates (about 200g)
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream, warmed
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Chop dates into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over them and let sit for 10 minutes to plump and soften.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Drain excess water from the dates, keeping some of the soaking liquid. In a large bowl, cream softened butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix gently until just combined.
- Fold in the dates and their soaking liquid. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- While the cake bakes, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, melt ½ cup butter over medium heat. Add 1 cup brown sugar and whisk until bubbly.
- Carefully pour in the warm heavy cream and whisk continuously until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in flaky sea salt and optional vanilla.
- Once the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, poke holes in the top with a fork. Pour half the warm sauce over the cake and let it soak in for 5 minutes.
- Flip the cake onto a serving plate or leave in the pan. Drizzle with remaining sauce and serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
Do not drain the dates completely; keep some soaking liquid for moisture. Warm the cream before adding to the hot butter/sugar mixture to prevent seizing. Serve warm for best texture. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days (cake) or 1 week (sauce).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 45
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 65
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 4
Keywords: sticky toffee pudding, date cake, salted caramel sauce, British dessert, comfort food, easy baking, homemade caramel