In our family, we love our sticky toffee pudding. It’s not a particularly pretty looking cake but it is damn good! So for a special someone’s birthday, I decided to wrap it in a show stopping, birthday worthy bow. This version is tall, nicely lacquered and sleek!
Sticky Toffee Pudding Layer Cake
Cake or “Pudding”
- 9 oz. dates with pits, remove pits and chop (I prefer Medjool dates)
- 1 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 Earl Grey Tea bag, optional
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 Tbsp molasses
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line and grease the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.
Pour the hot water over the tea bag and the dates. Pull the tea bag out after 10 minutes but allow the dates to sit in the liquid for 30 minutes. Using a hand held blender, blitz the dates in the water. They don’t have to be perfectly pureed, some small dates pieces will make the batter more rustic.
Sift the baking powder, salt and flour. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and then beat in the vanilla and molasses. Add the flour mixture and the date puree in two alternating additions starting with the flour. Once combined, pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely and cut into 6-inch rounds. The third round will be have to be pieced together with 2 half circles.
PS – this recipe also works in two 8-inch round cake pans.
Toffee
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
Add all the ingredients (except the vanilla) into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue to gently boil for 3 minutes or until the color has deepened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Place the cake layers on a metal tray lined with plastic. Pour a few tablespoons of hot toffee over each layer and spread to absorb. Reserve the rest of the toffee. Chill or freeze the cake layers for 30 minutes.
Buttercream
- 2 egg whites
- 2/3 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
Mix the whites and the sugar in the bowl of a stand up mixer. Place the bowl over a bain marie and continue to stir until it reaches 160°F. Fit the bowl into the stand up attachment and beat using a metal whisk until tripled in volume, stiff peaks are held and the mixture has come back down to room temperature. With the motor running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape down the bowl before adding the vanilla and salt. Add 4-5 Tbsp of the room temperature toffee and combine until uniform.
To assemble, place your first cake layer onto your cake plate (reserve the two half moon layer for the middle layer). Top with 1/3 cup of frosting and repeat with each layer. Use the remaining icing to frost the sides of the cake. Chill the cake until the frosting is set, about 2 hours.
Remove the cake from the fridge. To add the toffee glaze, warm the toffee ever so slightly or until it reaches a thick but pourable consistency. Pour about 2/3 cup of toffee over the cake and using an offset spatula, push it to the edges and allow the toffee to run over. Chill to set.
To serve, serve a nice thick slice of cake over some of the leftover warmed toffee. Tuck in!
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