Sandy Lerner, the owner of Hunter's Head Tavern, fell in love with this classic "pudding" while living in England. The secret to its sweetness is dates, baked into a dense cake that's drizzled with caramel—special enough to be served for company and simple enough to be enjoyed after a weeknight dinner.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Yield
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Pudding:
Sauce:
Special Equipment
Preparation
For pudding:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour Bundt pan. Bring dates and 1¼ 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.
Step 2
Whisk 1½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat ¼ 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 with remaining 1 egg, flour mixture, and date mixture. Pour batter into mold.
Step 3
Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 40-45 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:
Step 4
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.
Step 5
Cut cake into wedges. Serve with sauce and whipped cream.
Leave a Review
Reviews (24)
Back to TopSo I had to remove the pits from whole dates, which I then boiled in the hot water, and blended til smooth. I ended up with 1 cup dates, vs. 1.5 cups and I think this may have watered down the date flavour of the cake itself? The cake on its own was subtle in flavour, but SO moist and soft! The sauce brought it home and I HIGHLY recommend adding the brandy (or in my case Appleton rum, as I didn't have brandy). The family LOVED it! Will definitely be baking again ☺️
Taunnie
Canada
1/5/2021
Delicious, quick, and easy! I followed others' advice and blended the dates rather than chopped, worked beautifully.
Anonymous
Miami
11/21/2019
I made this recipe at a King Arthur Flour baking school class. They said everyone on staff chose this as their favorite cake and I agree with them! Absolutely delicious cake and sauce. They served it with unsweetened whipped cream which I liked for cutting the sweetness of the cake. One of the best cakes I've ever had.
kristi
Seattle
9/12/2019
This is absolutely delicious! I get so many compliments when serve it. One tip to make it easier, I don't chop the dates (just check for errant pits) but after the Baking Soda has been added and it has sat to cool, use an emulsifying blender to blend.
traymoe
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2/7/2019
this has become my all-time favorite holiday dessert. I like to swap the granular sugar for brown sugar and add a tablespoon of alcohol in the pudding as well. also, though it isn't traditional, i also like to add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove - i think it helps tame the sweetness
ty31142180
Tucson, AZ
12/17/2018
Am making this again over the holidays. After having sticky toffee pudding several times in Ireland, I made this for our fellow travelers and it was a hit. I used extra dates.
Foodie_Surmont
12/20/2017
Excellent! I made this after a trip to Scotland where we were introduced to Sticky Toffee Pudding. This recipe did not disappoint. I think I overdid it when I floured the pan. I may use cooking spray instead next time.
bluecalm
Worcester, MA
7/2/2017
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