Also known as Sticky Date Pudding, this date cake is moist and comforting with notes of caramel and raisin. An easy homemade rum sticky toffee sauce ties the cake together and brings you back for more!
Add the dates, raisins, vanilla, 2 tablespoons light rum (if using), date syrup, hot water, and baking soda to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until simmering. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, or until the mixture is thick and gets tacky or sticky, for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash the mixture thoroughly into a paste (I used a potato masher). Refrigerate the mixture uncovered for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a bundt cake pan with butter and lightly flour or spray with baking spray.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the brown sugar and softened butter until fluffy and light. This may take a few minutes of whipping and scraping down the sides of the bowl between whipping periods.
Mix the eggs into the mixture one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mixing between thoroughly between additions, or until the mixture is whipped and smooth.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, allspice, baking powder, and salt.
Mix ½ of the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture. Scape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in half of the date mixture until combined. Repeat, mixing in the remaining flour and date mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan.
Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Rotate the pan throughout the cooking time if your oven has hot spots or doesn’t cook evenly.
Cool the cake on a wire cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.
While the cake cools, make the sticky toffee sauce: add the heavy cream, brown sugar, and butter to a medium saucepan without stirring. Heat the saucepan over medium, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, or about 3-5 minutes. Once dissolved, pour in the light rum (if using) and simmer, stirring gently occasionally, or until the sauce until it is a light caramel color. Remove from the heat.
Serve the cake: invert the cake onto a rimmed serving plate. While the cake is still hot, pour half of the sticky toffee sauce over the cake. Serve the cake hot with additional toffee sauce and whipped cream or ice cream to serve.
Notes
1. Leftover cake lasts covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It also can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. For best results, freeze the additional toffee separately in a freezer safe container. Thaw the cake covered at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Thaw the toffee sauce in the refrigerator for 12 hours. 2. To reheat toffee sauce: warm the thawed toffee sauce in a saucepan over low heat, stirring periodically, or until the sauce has loosened and is warned through.
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