Sticky Toffee Pudding is a classic British decedent dessert drowned in a chewy caramel/toffee sauce. Today I’ve decided to form this into a 3 layered “6” inch cake.
I’ve decided to do a naked cake as I really want the toffee sauce to be the star of this recipe rather than the icing itself, as this is a crucial element that represents the classic British dessert.This cake is made by soaking the dates which results in a moist cake.
Ingredients
283g chopped dates – soaked in 1 3/4 cup water
3/4tsp baking soda
500g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
120g butter – room temperature
310g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs – room temperature
4tbsp molasses
2tsp vanilla essence
Chopped toffee sweets for decoration
Toffee Sauce
120g double cream
120g butter
120g dark brown sugar
Swiss Meringue Vanilla Buttercream
4 egg whites
250g granulated sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
Method – Cake
- Chop the dates into bite size pieces if not already done so and soak in boiling water for about 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in the baking soda and set aside until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees and grease and line 3 “6” inch cake tins and set aside until needed.
- In a large stand mixer bowl, beat the butter and the 2 sugars until paler in colour and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
- Add in the molasses and vanilla and beat till evenly distributed.
- Mash the date mixture.
- Sieve in the flour in 2 stages, alternating between the date and flour mixture until all mixture is evenly distributed and no flour pockets remain.
- Using a digital scales weigh out the cake batter evenly and bake in the preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cakes cool completely and wrap in cling film to chill overnight in the fridge.
Toffee Sauce
- Combine all above ingredients in a medium pot, stirring regularly. Once melted, bring to the boil and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and the sauce will thicken up as it cools. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
Swiss Meringue Vanilla Buttercream
- Wipe your stand mixing bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar. This will remove any residue that will stop the egg whites from whipping up.
- Place egg white and sugar in a stand mixing bowl over a pot of about 2 inches of simmering water, whisking continuously with the whisk attachment until the thermometer reaches 160 Fan.
- Quickly place the bowl into your stand mixer, and beat on the highest speed possible until the bowl goes cold. This could take anywhere between 10 – 15 minutes so be patient as this step is crucial to your buttercream turning out correctly.
- Once cool enough, gradually add in your butter 1 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition so your buttercream won’t curdle. Once all butter is mixed in continue to beat until it becomes thick and fluffy, about3 minutes.
- Lastly beat in your vanilla essence until evenly distributed.
Decorate the Cake
- Using a turntable cut off the dome of each cake. Spread some sugar syrup over all 3 layers of the cake and set them aside for about 10 minutes to soak in. This will allow for the cakes to last longer and they will. keep moist for days.
- Using a ice – cream scoop, scoop about 1 1/2 scoops of buttercream into the centre of the cake and spread toward the edges of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake and repeat the icing process. Finally turn the last layer of the cake upside down, this will result in a straight even cake. Light ice all around the sides and top of the cake – known as the “crumb coat”. In this case we a decorating a naked cake which also represents the “crumb coat”.
- Reheat some of the toffee sauce, making sure its not hot a this will destroy your cake with the buttercream going everywhere! Once melted add little blobs going all around the cake. This will drip down as you turn your cake turntable representing the drizzled toffee sauce in the original dessert. Fill in the centre of the cake with some more toffee sauce and spread out to even it. Chill in the fridge before severing or decorating it further.
Baked 4 U 