SINFULLY Rich, Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
December...cooking up a whole month of fancy party food and fabulous desserts starting with this sinfully rich cake. Really two desserts in one, the cake and sauce are equally delicious on their own.
Cake:
¾ pound dates, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large or 3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9" round cake pan. Place dates in a small bowl and pour in 1¾ cups boiling water. Allow dates to soften for 10 minutes, occasionally breaking them up with a fork. Stir in baking soda (it will bubble up!). Set dates aside.
Combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time along with the vanilla. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour to the batter. Add the date mixture and add the baking powder last. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared cake pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes. Make the sauce while the cake is cooling.
Toffee Sauce:
½ cup superfine sugar
7 tablespoons salted butter
¾ cup heavy cream
Over medium heat melt sugar and butter together until they turn a deep caramel color. Watch mixture carefully so it does not burn. Slowly stir in the cream. It will bubble up at first. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Loosen the sides of the cake with a spatula and place a flat serving plate over the pan. Invert the cake and remove the pan. Spoon half the sauce on top of the cake and serve the remainder on the side.
Cake serves 6 to 8 people.
Gourmet Shortcuts scheduled cooking classes are on hiatus through the holidays. Look for a whole new selection of hands-on classes beginning in January featuring seasonal, classic and trending original recipes. "Gourmet Shortcuts" also airs on the Groton Channel (Charter channel 12 & Verizon channel 40). Check out my show to see this recipe plus others and find out what to expect when you take one of my classes. Private and group classes and cooking class parties can be booked at any time. Hope to see you in the kitchen next year.
All previously published Gourmet Shortcuts recipes can be found at grotonherald.com under "Sally Meddock Smith". Any questions or comments may be sent to sallymeddocksmith@yahoo.com, Gourmet Shortcuts on Facebook or posted online at grotonherald.com.