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sticky toffee gingerbread
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Sticky Toffee Gingerbread

This sticky toffee gingerbread combines two classics! Here, a gingerbread loaf cake meets sticky toffee sauce to make a next level dessert!
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 (if using) 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 bowl then set aside.
  • 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 & mix 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.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Once cooked, a skewer inserted into the middle will come out clean.
  • Let the cake cool in the tin for 5 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 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 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, on a plate.
  • 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 cake can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days in an airtight container but will keep for an extra day or two if stored in the fridge. The 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.