This rich & decadent dessert is more of a sponge cake with a “to die for” caramel toffee sauce than a pudding.  It’s origin is British and across the pond, apparently cake is called pudding (hmm..wonder if “figgy pudding” is really a cake and not pudding at all?)

INGREDIENTS

Pudding:

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

Sauce:

  • 1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon brandy (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

For pudding:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour Bundt pan or a square pan or 10″ round cake pan. Bring dates and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan with tall sides. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will become foamy). Set aside; let cool.
  2. Whisk 1 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend (mixture will be grainy). Add 1 egg; beat to blend. Add half of flour mixture and half of date mixture; beat to blend. Repeat. Pour batter into mold.
  3. Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35-40  minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert pudding onto rack. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

For sauce:

Bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in brandy, if using, and vanilla. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm gently before using.

Note: this recipe is a collaboration from different recipes. I first had this decadent dessert at Calypso Grill on Grand Cayman and have tried to get it as close to that as I could. But think I may need another trip to Grand Cayman to make sure!

sticky-toffee-pudding

The secret to its sweetness is dates, baked into a dense cake that’s drizzled with caramel—special enough to be served for company!