I first made this dessert years ago, for a family Thanksgiving while I was in college. I was a beginner baker, and in fact this was the first occasion wherein I ever chopped dates. From then on, dates have had a hold on me and I will forever champion their degree and flavor of sweetness.
Unlike a layer cake or pie, sticky toffee pudding is the kind of dessert that doesn’t necessarily “show” well, but is invincibly superior as a whole, plated affair. As in every baking endeavor but perhaps especially here, balancing temperatures and timing is key—cozying up with warm, soft cake that’s dripping with hot toffee sauce and dolloped with cool unsweetened cream is winter evening perfection, I think.
Oh and! need to mention that while I’ve never met a sticky toffee pudding that I didn’t love, the chocolate addition here really makes this one particularly great. It’s the fudgiest cake imaginable without resembling a brownie, dense and yet nearly melts in your mouth. “Squidgy” is the right British term for it, meaning damp, spongy, and moist (in the best of ways!). I’ve also enjoyed it leftover at room temp days later—it seemed to have only gotten better!
Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding
serves 9 - adapted from crave: a passion for chocolate by Maureen McKeon
cake
1 1/2 ( g) chopped, pitted dates
1 t baking soda
114 g (1/2 c) unsalted butter, at room temperature
133 g (2/3 c) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
170 g (1 1/2 c) self-rising flour
6 oz. (1 c) chopped dark bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
toffee sauce
114 g (1/2 c) unsalted butter
140 g (2/3 c) dark brown sugar
240 g (1 c) heavy cream
3/4 t kosher salt
1 t vanilla extract
splash of brandy
whipped heavy cream, unsweetened, to serve
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a deep 8” or 9” square cake pan, and line the base with parchment paper.
Put the dates in a medium/small saucepan and cover with 240 g (1 cup) water; bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the baking soda. Set aside to cool slightly.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 5-10 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the sides/bottom of bowl between each addition.
Gently fold in the sifted flour with a large spatula until just incorporated, followed by the date mixture. Finally stir in the melted, cooled chocolate, until just combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for around 45 minutes, or until the cake shrinks back from the sides of the pan and the middle springs back slightly when pressed.
Make the caramel sauce while the cake is baking: combine the butter, sugar, and cream in a small/medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until caramel has thickened into a pourable but sturdy sauce. Remove from heat and add the salt, vanilla and brandy.
Finally, cut the warm cake into squares, and serve with spoonfuls of the hot toffee sauce and unsweetened whipped cream! Enjoy!
