This is a recipe that has turned into a family favorite. It's such a favorite, that it's my youngest daughter's birthday cake:) If you've enjoyed this as a dessert, but never made it, you might be surprised at the ingredients. You would never guess that dates are a big part of this dessert. It's a fairly simple dessert to make - it looks like it's complicated but it's really not. There are a few steps, but they're simple steps and the ingredients are easy to find. You can make this ahead and just reheat it a bit before you need it. You can use jarred caramel sauce, or you can make your own - whatever works for you.
Let's get to it . . .
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Bowl water (this is for the water bath that you'll bake your pudding in)
In a saucepan, add in, bring to a boil and let simmer for about 3-4 minutes 1 1/4. c pitted, chopped medjool dates 3/4 c. water
Remove from heat and add in 1/2 tsp. baking soda Let stand for about 10 minutes and then mash with a fork.
In a bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 c. flour 3/4 tsp. b. powder 1/2 tsp. salt
In the stand of your mixer, beat together until light and fluffy 1/3 c. unsalted butter (room temp) 2/3 c. packed b. sugar
Add to the butter mixture 2 eggs, 1 at a time 1 tsp. vanilla
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined.
Gently add in the cooled date mixture.
Pour into an 8" greased baking dish *** make sure this pan fits inside another, alternatively, you can make these in individual ramekins.
Pour the hot water around the baking dish - I put mine in the oven first, and then pour the water - less chance of sloshing it into the cake.
Cover with tin foil, shiny side down.
Bake for about 40ish minutes, until centre is set.
Remove from oven and water bath.
Poke holes into the top and pour 3/4 c. caramel sauce over top. (it's a sticky cake, so as you can see in my picture, some of my holes are bigger than others - it's all good, just more caramel in them. Ideally, the holes should be the same size, but, as in life, not everything comes out that way - lol.
Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving with more caramel sauce and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
