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sticky toffee gingerbread
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Gingerbread Sticky Toffee Pudding

This gingerbread sticky toffee pudding combines a spiced ginger loaf cake with a classic sticky toffee pudding. Served with a rich toffee sauce & a scoop of ice cream.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: English
Servings: 8 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Stick Blender
  • 2lb/900g Loaf Tin
  • Loaf Tin Liner
  • Sieve
  • Piping Bag

Ingredients

Gingerbread Loaf Cake

  • 140 g Pitted Dates
  • 15 g Crystallised Ginger (See Notes)
  • 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
  • 175 ml Boiling Water
  • 100 g Unsalted Butter (Softened - For The Batter)
  • 120 g Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs (At Room Temperature)
  • 75 g Black Treacle
  • 200 g Plain Flour
  • 1¾ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1½ tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp Table Salt
  • 80 g Buttermilk (At Room Temperature)
  • 15 g Unsalted Butter (Softened - To Pipe A Line On Top)

Toffee Sauce

  • 400 g Double/Heavy Cream
  • 130 g Unsalted Butter
  • 150 g Dark Brown Sugar
  • 100 g Golden Syrup
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
  • ¼ tsp Fine Sea Salt

Instructions

Gingerbread Loaf Cake

  • Preheat an oven 170°c/150°c fan (338°f/302°f). Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment (or use a loaf tin liner) then set aside.
  • Roughly chop up the dates & ginger then place into a bowl. Add in the bicarbonate of soda & boiling water then leave to soak for 10-15 minutes, to soften.
  • Next, sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon & salt into a separate bowl then set to one side.
  • Place the softened butter & sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer then use the paddle attachment to beat until light & fluffy. This will take around 5 minutes on a medium speed.
  • With the mixer still running on a medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time then mix in the treacle.
  • Next, blitz the soaked dates up with a stick blender, to make a puree.
  • Add in half of the flour & half of the date puree into the batter then mix on a low speed until just combined.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula then add in the remaining flour, dates & the buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
  • Transfer the cake batter to the lined loaf tin then pipe a thin line of softened butter down the middle.
    The butter controls how the loaf cracks on top as it bakes.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Once cooked, a skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean.
  • Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully transfer to a cooling rack & leave to cool completely. Once cool, place the cake into an airtight container (or wrap in clingfilm), leave to mature in the fridge overnight then cut into thick slices.

Toffee Sauce

  • Place the cream, sugar, butter & golden syrup into a medium sized saucepan then place over a low heat.
  • Cook until the butter has melted & the sugar has dissolved, stirring regularly then increase the heat to medium-high & bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from the heat.
  • Stir in the vanilla paste & salt then leave to cool. Refrigerate until needed.

To Reheat & Serve

  • Preheat an oven to 170°c/150°c fan (338°f/302°f).
  • Place the slices of cake into a heatproof dish then add a spoonful of toffee sauce on top of each.
  • Cover the dish with foil & reheat in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until piping hot. Alternatively, heat individual portions of sponge & sauce in a microwave, in a bowl.
  • Whilst the sponge is being reheated, warm some extra toffee sauce up (either in a pan on the stove, or in a jug in a microwave).
  • To serve, place the slice of sponge onto plates then pour over some extra toffee sauce. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or a drizzle of pouring cream.

Notes

1. Cooking In An Aga - Cook the gingerbread cake in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners. To make the toffee sauce, melt the butter & sugar using the simmering plate then move over to the boiling plate & boil for 2 minutes.
2. Making The Cake Batter - When creaming the butter & sugar, make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down regularly with a rubber spatula. This ensures a smooth, well combined batter.
If you haven't got a stick blender for the puree, blitz the dates up in a food processor or in a jug blender.
3. Crystallised Ginger - If you haven't got any crystallised ginger for the date puree, add in an extra half teaspoon of ground ginger into the batter.
4. Storage - The gingerbread loaf cake and toffee sauce should be stored in the fridge & will keep for up to 3 days.
5. Lining The Loaf Tin - To make lining the loaf tin easier, I'd recommend using loaf tin liners. Alternatively, use baking parchment.