Sticky toffee pudding

Made by Nicole December 3, 2010 2 comments » Share

Last week, my colleague Matt was raving about a dessert that was served during one of his recent dinner meetings. I had never heard of sticky toffee pudding before—obviously it’s some sort of pudding, right? Nope. It’s actually a popular British dessert consisting of a sponge cake made with dates, and covered with a rich toffee-like sauce that is served warm.

It turns out Matt was describing it to me in detail for a reason. He knows I’m an avid baker, and he wanted me to replicate it for his next meeting. I never turn down an opportunity to bake, but I also didn’t know if it was something that could be successfully veganized. Luckily, Sharon Valencik of the famed Sweet Utopia has already done it for me! I just happen to be browsing through the book—a new addition to my collection—and there it was. I am really enjoying Sweet Utopia and I’m lucky to have found this particular recipe.

It is such an interesting cake that I want to share it with you. Above is a photo of my mini test cake. Imagine a spoonful of this dense cake and warm, buttery sauce touching your lips…delish, yes? The only change I am going to make to this recipe next time is substituting Sucanat and molasses for the powdered sugar, to give the cake a darker colour and deeper taste. Enjoy!

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Sticky toffee pudding

Yield: one 9 x 13-inch cake

Ingredients:

For the date mixture:

• 2 cups chopped dates
• 2 cups water

For the cake:

• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, at room temperature (I use Earth Balance)
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• 1 tsp white vinegar

For the sticky sauce:

• 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup vegan butter
• 1 cup vanilla soy creamer (or plain soy creamer + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)

Directions:

For the date mixture:

1. Combine the dates and water in a small saucepan and simmer until the dates soften, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.

For the cake:

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
2. In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar and vegan butter and beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy (I use an electric mixer). Beat in the soymilk and vinegar.
3. Stir in the flour mixture and date mixture and mix until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into an oiled 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until the cake is light brown and a toothpick inserted in to the centre comes out clean.

For the sticky sauce:

1. Combine the sugar, vegan butter and half of the soy creamer in a medium saucepan and mix well. Bring to
2. a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Whisk in the remaining soy creamer. If you are using plain creamer, stir in the vanilla extract.

To serve:

1. Poke holes in the top of the cake using a fork and pour half of the sauce over the top, allowing it to soak into the cake. Cut the cake into 3-inch squares. Keep the remaining sauce hot and spoon it over the warm cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired. Store leftover sauce and cake tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Recipe from Sweet Utopia. Reprinted with permission.