This Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake transforms the classic British dessert into a delicious layer cake! Date infused cake layers, vanilla buttercream, and a decadent toffee sauce.
I am an excellent planner when it comes to almost everything in life… except for (apparently) baking. With baking, I am the worst. The WORST. I don’t understand it. I have a background in project management, and when planning trips or anything else in life I am SO on top of it.
When it comes to baking… I just don’t know what happens. It’s like I can’t commit to an idea or something. I’m constantly changing my mind and forgetting things, and it just makes for a huge waste of time. I can’t make a decision to save my life. Case in point: this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.
It all started with my lack of a plan on how to attack this cake. I had a recipe in mind (modified from Rock Recipes) but I didn’t know how I wanted to incorporate the toffee sauce or how to decorate it. Oh well, I knew I could get the cake layers baked up and out of the way, and worry about the rest at a later date (hah!).
I had the foresight to buy the medjool dates, as I knew I’d be making this cake, but I didn’t think to check my stock of other stuff. So there I am, getting out all my trusty ingredients, only to realize that my molasses had expired. *&%$. Off to the store I go (it’s a 20min round trip at best, usually longer).
So I go get what I need, get home, and start prepping everything. Somewhere in those few minutes, I realize that I want to drizzle the toffee sauce over the cake layers while they’re still hot out of the oven. Do you think I’d have had the foresight to buy heavy cream for the toffee sauce while I was at the grocery store? NooOOOoooo. Why would I do that? That would be smart and efficient and organized. Clearly I am none of those things.
So, off I go to the store. Again.
Finally back home, I start whipping up the cake batter. It all goes smoothly except I have way too much batter for my 2″ tall pans. UGH. Thankfully I realized this and did not overfill my pans. They didn’t spill over, but I did have some excess. I’ve since modified the recipe, as I had to remake the entire cake anyhow (read on).
Once the cakes were out of the oven and out of their pans, I poked them all over with a bamboo skewer and slathered the hot toffee sauce onto them. I cooled them completely, wrapped them in plastic wrap, and stuck them in the freezer, since I wouldn’t be finishing the cake until the following week.
I actually freeze almost all of my cake layers before using them. I try to spread out my baking as much as possible and do stuff in batches, so I’ll often have a variety of frozen cake layers ready to go in the freezer. Freezing the cakes works perfectly, whereas putting them in the refrigerator dries them out. Just be sure to double wrap them in plastic wrap before freezing.
So, fast forward to the following week — aka, decorating and photos. I could not, for the life of me, decide how I wanted to decorate this cake. I need to be better about planning this stuff up front, because winging it on the day really isn’t working for me. No joke that I spent 4 hours decorating and re-decorating this cake. It’s ridiculous.
I did 4 versions one day, hated them all, and just stuck the cake into the fridge in order to try version 5 the next day.
Here are some crappy pics of the crappy 4 initial versions.
Before attempting version 5, I made more toffee sauce, since I had run out from all of the previous failed decorating attempts.
So, the next day comes along and it’s another disaster. Maybe this cake was not meant to be. Something was off in my toffee sauce — it was WAY too thin, and no amount of fridge/freezer time was thickening it. I was so over this cake by this point, so I just went with it and took pics, hating the cake through and through the entire time. Here’s a shot of version 5, which was just as disappointing as the initial 4.
Unfortunately (for me) the pics just did not turn out. Maybe it was self-sabotage because I hated the cake anyhow, I don’t know. All the pics were dull and blurry. I thought I could edit them to be ok, but it wasn’t working.
After a good week of mulling it over, I decided to redo the cake entirely. I tweaked the recipe a bit too, since the first one made a bit too much batter. The layers baked up much prettier in the second version.
I think my biggest struggle with this whole Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake, and what ultimately caused all the issues, was deciding on the approach to take with the frosting.
Frosting isn’t traditional in sticky toffee pudding. It’s cake and toffee syrup, sometimes with ice cream or whipped cream on the side. So I didn’t want this cake to be frosting heavy, but I also didn’t want it to look too much like my Caramel Apple Cake. It needed the toffee drizzle though, since that’s a main component of sticky toffee pudding! Ugh. Finally, I settled on a semi-naked cake with toffee drizzle. It is what it is, and really all that matters in the end is how it tastes, right?
So, version 6 (the final version) of this cake was better and good enough. I don’t love that it looks so much like my Caramel Apple Cake and that it’s another drip cake, but I think this style just worked best for this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.
What is Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Well, I’ve rambled (ranted) on for an eternity, and we haven’t even talked about what Sticky Toffee Pudding is! If you’ve never tried it before, then trust me that you need it in your life, because it is SO delicious!
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a British dessert consisting of a cake made with dates and drizzled with toffee sauce. When I first saw it on the menu at a restaurant I thought it was going to be a bread pudding-type dish. It’s NOT. I am not a bread pudding fan. Soggy bread is one of the grossest things to me. I just can’t deal with the texture. As such, I avoided sticky toffee pudding for a good chunk of my life and totally missed out!!
I think this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake does the original justice. My taste testers have loved it, and I’ve had at least one British friend say it was amazing. That’s all the validation I need, and it certainly makes the struggles with this cake worthwhile.
If you are a Sticky Toffee Pudding fan, I hope you will love this cake as much as I do!
Tips for this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake:
- I used a generous amount of toffee sauce on the layers, so the cake is extra moist. You can use as much or as little as you want.
- This cake can be baked in two 8″ round pans instead, with no adjustments to the recipe.
- The baking soda helps to soften the dates so they are easier to mash.
- If you make your toffee sauce in advance and refrigerate it (I did), you’ll need to warm it up again the next day as it might separate a bit. Be sure to let it cool and thicken before drizzling on the top of the cake.
- If you like this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake, be sure to check out my other festive cakes! Eggnog Cake, Gingerbread Cake, Pecan Pie Cake, Ferrero Rocher Cake.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Ingredients
Dates:
- 10 oz pitted medjool dates chopped (about 18 whole dates)
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed, I used demerara
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 Tbsp fancy molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla
Toffee Sauce:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed, I used demerara
- 1 Tbsp fancy molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Dates:
- Place dates and water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over med heat and simmer for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in baking soda. Let sit while making the cake batter. Mash before using in cake.
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease & flour three 6" cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high (approx. 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add molasses and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- Add flour mixture in 3 batches then add in the hot mashed dates. Beat until combined.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake until the cakes spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (approx. 40-45 mins). Make Toffee Sauce while cakes are baking.
- Cool in pans on wire rack for 10mins, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Toffee Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking occasionally. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add vanilla and whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Trim the tops so that they are flat and so that the top crust of the cake is removed.
- Poke holes into the cakes using a bamboo skewer (or something similar in size). Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of the warm toffee sauce onto each of the cake layers. Spread evenly. Cool completely.
- Place one layer of cake onto a serving plate or cake stand. Top with 2/3 cup buttercream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers.
- Do a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Using a large icing scraper, scrape and smooth the frosting on the sides of the cake so that some of the cake starts to show through. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Chill cake for 30mins.
- Warm up the toffee sauce if necessary until it is pourable but not too thin and not warm.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of toffee sauce around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more toffee sauce and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth. Cake recipe adapted from Rock Recipes.
Nikita says
Is there any way I can make this without dates it’s for my brothers birthday and he hates dates ?
Olivia says
Hi Nikita! No, not this particular recipe since it’s all about the dates here! I would recommend choosing something else.
Krista says
Hi Liv!
Can the whole thing be made and assembled the day before serving?
Olivia says
Hi Krista! You bet, just refrigerate it and take it out 2-3 hours before serving so it can come to room temp 🙂
Jessica Smith says
Apologies if asked already, I made the cake and it was possibly the best sponge I’ve ever made, amazing! I have some dates left and would love to make this in cupcakes or even super mini layer cakes, do you think this would work?
Olivia says
Hi Jessica! You can totally make cupcakes or mini cakes with this recipe. All you need to do is adjust the baking time.
Laura says
I made this cake today (haven’t served it yet, but the off cuts were delicious!) I have a question about the toffee sauce. Yours looks beautiful and smooth, whereas mine looks slightly grainy/crystallised, do you know where I might have gone wrong? I refrigerated it overnight, then warmed it slightly the next day (it went on the cake looking great, then after it had been sitting out a bit got the grainy look). Would appreciate any advice 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Laura! Strange that it got grainy after sitting for a while but was fine after the fridge and reheating. I’m not actually sure what would have caused that. How quickly did it crystalize?
Laura says
About ten minutes after I put the sauce on the cake it started to crystallise. We ate the cake today and it tasted lovely! Just wish I knew where I went wrong with the sauce.
Olivia says
Super bizarre! I’m going to have to look into this. I’ve only known sugar to crystalize while making the caramel, not after.
Sherryl Loman says
Hello Liv!
I cannot wait to attempt this cake for Christmas this year. Sticky Toffee Pudding is my absolute favourite restaurant dessert and that is always my #1 choice if it’s on the menu (some have been better than others, I’ve found 😉
Since discovering this amazing treat, I have been searching for the perfect recipe. I’m not going to lie — I was shocked that the key ingredient is dates! I would never have guessed this — I am not a “date” fan (or so I thought).
Your cake is absolutely gorgeous and the recipe looks amazing. I’m sure my version will look less appealing than your first 5 attempts — but if I’m careful, I hope it will at least be edible (I would NOT have the patience to attempt over and over LOL)
Thank you for sharing all of your delicious masterpieces. I love making something decadent and beautiful.
Merry Christmas!
Sherryl (from windy Alberta)
Olivia says
Hi Sherryl! I’m not a date fan either and was also surprised that they were a main component. I am sure your version will be just as delicious — it’s the taste that matters, after all :). You have to let me know how it goes! Merry Christmas!
Bev says
I tasted a sticky toffee cake at a restaurant. Delicious! It had a layer of white icing on top and the toffee sauce on that. Could this cake be made in a 9 by 13 pan? Is there another way to make the buttercream other than with egg whites? I have a problem getting eggs to set up.
Olivia says
Hi Bev! You can use an American buttercream if you prefer, here’s my fave recipe for that: https://livforcake.com/simple-vanilla-buttercream/
Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Ingrid says
Could you use meringue powder in place of egg whites?
Olivia says
Hi Ingrid! I would use egg whites for best results. I don’t think the meringue powder would give the right consistency.
Jess says
Hiya! Going to attempt this for a NYE celebration. I only have 8″ pans though… How would you recommend converting this?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Jess! I would make the recipe as is in two 8″ pans. If you want 3 layers then 1.5x the recipe (you can adjust the Servings slider to 18). Baking temp would stay the same and baking time should be close as well.
Laura G says
Hello….message from Glasgow, Scotland!
Made this cake this week for a sticky toffee pudding mad friend’s Hen Weekend and it went down a storm!!!!
Everyone loved it and said how like actual sticky toffee pudding it was!
It does take some time to prepare but not as long as I thought.
I loved the meringue buttercream as it was really quite light and the cake is very rich so it was the perfect combination – I’m glad I didn’t just make a buttercream icing which I was quite tempted to do for speed!
Anyways – great recipe, thanks xx
Olivia says
Hi Laura! Thanks so much for the great feedback. So glad everyone loved it!
BELINDA says
Hello! I want to use 6 inch pans, would u think it would work?
Olivia says
Hi Belinda! The recipe calls for 6″ pans.
Chantell says
I wish I could attach a photo looks so impressive can’t wait to try it tomorrow!
Olivia says
I would love to see a pic, you can email it to me if you like! I hope you like it!
Claire says
Love this recipe, making it again but using dried dates, do I need to reduce the amount of dates used? Or just increase the water added. Promised nan I make it for her birthday tomorrow!
Olivia says
Hi Claire! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 I’m actually not sure re: dried dates — it would require some experimentation. What did you end up trying?
Liz says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I made this cake yesterday for a birthday party and everyone LOVED it!
I’m British so just made a few tiny changes… for molasses I used part black treacle part golden syrup, and for the toffee sauce I added a key ingredient – half a teaspoon of salt (as we often make this sauce with salted butter).
Incredible cake- can’t wait to try making some of your others 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Liz! That is certainly high praise from someone that’s British! So glad you liked it 🙂
Kylie says
Hi there, what is the equivalent of fancy molasses in Australia? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Kylie! That is a good question. I’m actually not sure and google wasn’t much help in this regard 🙁
Julie says
Hi Kylie and Olivia
Hello from Oz
Made this for a friends anniversary and used treacle… came up a treat 😊👌 Julie
Olivia says
Hi Julie! So glad you liked it 🙂
nomi says
Hi Liv, I’m only able to get unsulphured molasses where I live. Do you think these will work instead of fancy? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Nomi! I think that should work fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Alex says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe, it was absolutely devine!!! I’ve passed the recipe on as everyone loved it! I will be making it again.
Olivia says
Yay! So glad to hear that 🙂
Claire says
Delicious cake, quick question, when freezing, do you poke holes, pour toffee, then freeze?
Olivia says
Hi Claire! I’m trying to remember how I did it… I believe I froze the layers with the toffee on them. It’s possible this would affect the texture though, I only froze mine for a couple days at most. Either way should work though!
Ana says
Hiiiii!!!! I don’t know if this is a dumb question, but do you add the dates with the water you used to boil them?
Olivia says
Hi Ana! Yes, you mash the dates with the water they were in.
Anna says
Oh also, how do you think the cake would go with a combination of dried figs and dates? I will be using figs for decoration as they are in season now (in Australia!).
Thanks!
Anna 🙂
Olivia says
I haven’t tried it with figs (I actually don’t think I’ve had a fig in my life), so I wouldn’t want to steer you wrong. If they are a similar consistency to dates though, it could work fine.
Anna says
Hello!
I’m making this cake for my friend’s wedding. Cannot wait!
Just wanted to confirm (as I will be freezing in advance), that I still put the toffee sauce on the cake prior to freezing?
Also, what are your thoughts on using big plastic dowels for a cake such as this (I will be making mine in a 10 inch pan so will be multiplying the recipe accordingly! It will also be supporting a smaller lemon curd layer cake…)
Thanks!
Anna
Olivia says
Hi Anna! I would not put the toffee sauce on before freezing. Pour it over the day of the wedding 🙂 And yes, definitely use support dowels if you’re doing a multi-tiered cake!
Isabella says
This cake looks amazing! I am wanting to make it over the next few days for my Mum’s birthday (sticky date is her favourite) but I’m wondering if I am going to be making the cake layers today and then finishing the cake off tomorrow, if I pour the toffee sauce into the cake layers and then cool – do I then freeze those layers overnight and take them out tomorrow when I ice the cake, or do I just keep the cake layers in the fridge or at room temp overnight? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Isabella! If it’s just overnight, there is no need to freeze them. I would probably put them in the fridge (wrapped in plastic or in something airtight), but they would probably be fine at room temp overnight too! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Anna says
Hi Liv,
Your cake looks stunning and I’m planning to make it for Xmas tea 🙂
Just one question…as I’m living in Germany I have some difficulties getting the “fancy molasses” I got some treakle instead. You reckon that would work as well?
Thanks and Merry Xmas 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Anna! I’ve never used treacle, but I just looked it up and I think it should work just fine. Merry Christmas to you as well! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
This looks MOUTHWATERINGLY GOOOOOD!! That sauce could make me do unspeakable things…
Olivia says
LOL, that sauce was the best part!! xo
Cindy Rodriguez says
Wow, this looks so decadent and rich. And soooo perfect for the holidays! The gooey, drizzle of the toffee sauce might be more than I can handle.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Cindy! The toffee sauce was amazing!!
Kate says
I always look forward to getting your newsletter emails in my inbox to see what your newest creation is. This looks to be no exception to your amazing cakes. My husband LOVES Sticky Toffee Pudding so I will definitely be putting this on the list to make. Can’t wait to try it….!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Kate! Your comment made my day 🙂 I hope you love this one as much as I do. Let me know how it turns out!
Alida | Simply Delicious says
All the flops were worth it because the final product is absolutely stunning. That toffee sauce is drool worthy!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Alida! That toffee sauce is heaven.
Aisha says
What an adventure!! How do you thaw your cakes when assembling? I want to try all of your recipes!
Olivia says
Hi Aisha! I just thaw the layers on the counter, then assemble when they’re still cold but no longer firm 🙂
Karen says
I can’t wait to make this! I wish I could just jump through the screen and have some…looks absolutely delicious and stunning. Thanks for the recipe!
Olivia says
Thanks Karen! I hope you like it, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Lorinda - The Rowdy Baker says
That is a thing of beauty! I just keep staring at the photo in awe. And you don’t know how good it felt to read your post and find that someone else wings things the way I do. The ideas in my head don’t always turn out as I hoped, but it’s always an adventure, right?
Olivia says
Hi Lorinda! So glad that you can relate. It’s definitely an adventure — the good and the bad 😉
Jackie says
Oh my goodness, it was worth the wait!! It’s beautiful!!! I have a friend that makes amazing Stickey Toffee Pudding. I really need to try this one!!,
Olivia says
You DO need to try this one! It tastes so good and so much like Sticky Toffee Pudding. I hope you like it 🙂 Thanks so much Jackie! xo
Vicki Bensinger says
Olivia I think you outdo yourself every single time. I love stopping by to view all your creations. While I may not comment all the time I’m always admiring your creations. Always stunning and get me drooling! Happy Holidays!
Olivia says
Thank you so much Vicki! I’m so happy to hear you stop by regularly! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season too! xo
Kim | The Baking ChocolaTess says
Love your creations!! Gorgeous!!
Olivia says
Thank you Kim! 😀
Olivia says
Thanks so much Kim! 😀
Meg | Meg is Well says
Well, I’m so happy you stuck with it because not only does this cake sound amazing, that toffee sauce and semi-naked cake combo looks so gorgeous! The sauce looks like a beautiful copper topping to me.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Meg! I’m glad I stuck with it too 😀 xo
Becca says
Thanks for all the tips–they’re so helpful to a beginning baker like myself. This cake was SO delicious!
Olivia says
Thanks Becca! Glad you found the tips helpful 🙂
Jessica Williams says
Your final result is absolutely STUNNING! Way to go. Can’t wait to try this incredible cake.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Jessica!! It was totally worth the stress and effort 🙂
Amy says
This cake is gorgeous. I’m just getting ready to make it for Christmas Eve dinner. I just realized that I only have 9 inch size pans. Do you think I can do two nine inch pans instead and just lower the cook time? Or maybe even double the recipe and do three 9 inch pans (with more than like some batter left over?) any insight would be very helpful. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Amy! The layers will be thinner in the 9″ pans if you leave it as is and do two. I would double and do three 9″ as you suggested. You can always make cupcakes with any excess batter! Let me know how it turns out 🙂