Sunday 8 May 2011

Chocolate sticky toffee pudding cake



Birthday season in the Caked Crusader family is well upon us; this week marks the halfway point and it’s the turn of the CCM (Caked Crusader’s Ma). I asked her what flavour she would like her cake to feature and was surprised to hear the reply of “chocolate or toffee”. I would’ve bet anything on lemon!


Being a good daughter I know the importance of keeping the CCM happy so hunted for a recipe featuring both chocolate and toffee – and here it is! However good you think chocolate sticky toffee pudding cake will be, multiply that expectation by 10... and you’re still nowhere close!


The flavours are clean and identifiable which pleased me; often, when you combine robust ingredients they get lost and the overall taste is indistinct. On a blind tasting you would guess that this was a chocolate sticky toffee pudding. I have to keep typing that – it’s a wonderful collection of words!


I put the toffee sauce in the fridge - this is how thick it became:


Then, I whisked some of the toffee sauce into some whipped cream and piped it on top of the cake to add an extra element of naughty luxury to the dish. It worked really well – I feel that’s somewhat a redundant statement...like anyone would read that sentence and say, “well that must’ve been a disaster”!


I had to take a photo of the elaborate candle I got for the cake. You light the centre and a plume of sparklers shoot up and out lighting all the candles on the flower petals which open, and then rotate playing “happy birthday”. Classy? Perhaps not. Crowd pleasing? Oh yes! I think this photo really captures the speed of the rotating candles:


Happy birthday CCM

Footnote: anyone interested in acquiring their own "showstopper" candle can order it from the Talkingtables website.

Ingredients

For the cake:
300ml boiling water
150g stoned dates, chopped
150g dark chocolate – I used Green & Blacks 70%
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g light brown sugar
3 eggs
225g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the toffee sauce:
275g golden syrup
275g light brown sugar
100g unsalted butter
225ml double cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To serve: whipped cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper.

Place the water in a saucepan and reduce to a simmer.

Add the chopped dates and leave for 10 minutes – still on a low simmer.

Melt the chocolate – I used a microwave – and put to one side.

Beat together the butter and sugar until paler and lighter. As it is brown sugar, it won’t go as whippy as if you were using caster sugar but you should notice the texture lightening.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Stir in the melted chocolate.

Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder.

Stir in the dates and their liquid.

Pour the mixture (it will be runny) into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Mine took 55 minutes.

Leave to cool in the tin, on a wire rack. The cake will be very soft and trying to de-tin it too early may cause heartache!

Now make the toffee sauce: place all the ingredients into a saucepan (use a bigger saucepan than you think you’ll need as the sauce increases significantly in volume while it’s bubbling away) and heat, over a high heat, until the mixture comes to the boil. Stir regularly.

Let the mixture boil for approximately 5 minutes (still stirring) until the sauce is glossy.

Place the warm cake on the serving plate and pour some of the toffee sauce over the cake, putting the rest in a jug for people to serve themselves.

Alternatively, you can serve the cake at room temperature, also with some toffee sauce poured over the cake, and some whipped up with cream as a decadent extra treat!

Serve in generous slices.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

where does one acquire a candle like that want one brill

Angel said...

Oh my goodness! Sam! This sounds amazing!!!!!!! Will be baking it very soon. Thnak you so much for sharing xxxxxxx

Anna's kitchen table said...

Ha ha LOVE that candle!!!
The cake sounds truly delicious. Lucky CCM!!!

Maria♥ said...

Cake looks yummy and I love that candle!

Maria
x

Katescakesandbakes said...

Chocolate? Toffee?? Cream?? Complete with a ROTATING SPARKLING CANDLE??!

Pretty please may I have some?

Perdita Tinsel said...

LOVE that candle, and the cake recipe. Birthday season starts next month for us... bookmarking this page as a potential cake for sure, AVEC toffee flavour cream, and rotating candle natch.

Caroline said...

Oh Wow!!! What a fabulous cake - the combination of chocolate and sticky toffee sounds absolutely delicious to this particular confirmed chocoholic! And beautifully decorated too!

I love that candle too - who cares if it's classy as long as everyone loves it!

trash said...

Oooo! Need someone to have a birthday soon so I can make this. Or maybe the sun will continue to stay hidden and the sky grim and rainy and I can make it to feed the happy into myself!

LandGirl1980 said...

I don't know what is more amazing - the cake or the candle holder!

decocinasytacones said...

I love sticky chocolate cake....soooo good.....and if besides, you pour some toffee sauce.......I die!
CONGRATS for the cake.
Love from Spain
Marialuisa

Nom! said...

oh - my - god! Seriously, this looks amazing! pleas tell me your doing a cook book.

Johanna GGG said...

the only think I have ever found wrong with sticky toffee pudding is that it has not chocolate - so glad you have fixed this for me - and thanks for the laugh at the candle - sounds like a real show stopper

Cakelaw said...

Yum! Love sticky date - this is the cake for me.

Maggie said...

I am not sure which I like best, the cake or the candle, but perhaps the cake wins because you can eat it!

Anonymous said...

Oh my....I need to sit down, and I'm sitting down!
That looks simply awesome, and just right up my alley.
I bet it's a real winner for any occasion.
Now that is happy baking!
Roze
x

Anonymous said...

Oh my....I need to sit down, and I'm sitting down!
That looks simply awesome, and just right up my alley.
I bet it's a real winner for any occasion.
Now that is happy baking!
Roze
x

Baking Addict said...

Wow I love the sound of a chocolate sticky toffee pudding and that candle is amazing!

Katie said...

That looks one heavenly cake. Love the look of the texture, rich, sticky and moist. Yummy. Never seen a candle like that before - great talking point.
Yum yum

Gloria Baker said...

OMG this look absolutely amazing and yummy love toffe sauce!! xxxgloria

Xinmei @ Pudding Pie Lane said...

Woah.. that is some seriously EPIC cake! I love the frosting and how thick the toffee sauce came out. Yum :)

Ayls said...

What a great idea, sticky toffee pudding is my husband's favourite and this is a fab way to make it even more special. Way to go!

Ling's Passion said...

I love the candle. It is so classic.

Joyti said...

It looks and sounds exquisite. I've heard of sticky toffee, but never had it. Yum!

FromTheHeartsOf said...

Oh Yum! Not so sure about the toffee, but I am definitely be making the chocolate cake portion of this recipe. Thanks for sharing!!

Anonymous said...

I found the candles on amazon got a White and purple one. now I need a birthday and an excuse to make a fab cake to put it on. maybe this or toblerone cupcake made big!!!!!! bexxie76

Hazel - Chicken in a Cherry Sauce said...

Sticky toffee pudding in a cake?! Amazing!

Lucy said...

Wow this cake sounds gorgeous! Love the candle as well - so clever!

Choclette said...

Wow and yet another stunner from you. With no coffee to worry about, this one is definitely being bookmarked. Sounds like you might be birthdayed out soon ;-)

Jo said...

Wow! your cakes are amazing - you make me feel uninventive! Haha... I'd like to make a request though, could you try to make a liquorice cake? I've tried a few and none have really worked... Granted, perhaps I shouldn't have used unripe gooseberries in it... Anyway, give it a go? Pretty please with a literal cherry on the top?! ;)

The Caked Crusader said...

Hi Jo

Just to manage expectations, liquorice is my least favourite flavour ever - I can't eat it! But if I see a recipe I might give it a go one day.
Incidentally, there was a lemon and liquorice battenburg on Great British Menu tv show recently - maybe try that?

Happy baking

Weasel said...

Thank you! I made this cake tonight for a birthday dinner party for my Granny, Sister and Brother. It was absolutely perfect and I've got plenty of toffee sauce left over for ice cream and to try mixing it with whipped cream for a fruit salad tomorrow!
I put gold shimmer on top and popping candy, which worked really well :)