Pumpkin Spice Sticky Toffee Cake Recipe
This Pumpkin Spice Sticky Toffee Cake is such a comforting bake and a fun autumnal spin on a classic dessert. A sticky toffee pudding or cake is a self saucing cake that is super moist and soft. The cake can be made in individual ramekins or as a cake and sliced up. This is a small batch recipe, making only 4 portions but you can easily scale this up to make more. I included the recipe for the caramel sauce but you can always skip this step and buy in a premade sauce such as Gather Sea Salted Caramel Sauce, The Butlers Pantry Caramel Sauce, Carnation Dulce De Leche, Follain Irish Cream Liqueur Caramel, Bonne Maman Salted Caramel or Love a Little Sauces (if you are in Donegal).
This recipe uses homemade pumpkin puree. To make your own, check out my post How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree (And How To Make it Without Pumpkins).
So how do I make this Pumpkin Spice Sticky Toffee Cake from scratch?
This recipe only takes a few steps to make and it so worth it.
- Sticky Toffee Cake
- Caramel Sauce
Sticky Toffee Cake
To begin making this cake, add the dates,baking soda and boiling water to a small mixing bowl. Leave for 10-15 minutes for the dates to soften and absorb the water. Puree the dates and water with a small food processor or hand blender until smooth. This can be difficult to do if you have a large food processor as it’s a small amount. Try to use a small food processor like a bullet or a hand blender for best results. Leave to one side as you prepare the other ingredients.
Preheat oven to 175°c (350°f) or 165°c (330°f) if fan assisted. In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, flour, egg, yoghurt, pumpkin, pumpkin spice and the blended date mix. Beat together for 2-3 minutes until a smooth batter has formed.
Pour into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until the middle has risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Caramel Sauce
To start, add the sugar and water to a wide bottomed saucepan. Heat on high heat until the sugar starts to caramelise. Turn down to medium and cook till you achieve an amber colour. Add in the butter and whisk thoroughly. The sugar will start to spit and look clumpy when you add the butter, this is normal. Keep whisking and be careful not to burn yourself. Once the butter is fully incorporated, add the cream next and whisk. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until all remaining sugar crystals dissolve. Leave to cool slightly for 1-2 minutes.
Once the cake has cooked, remove it from the oven and poke multiple holes in the hot cake with a sharp knife or toothpick. Pour 50 grams of caramel sauce over the hot cake and leave for 5-10 minutes to allow the cake to soak up the sauce.
Serve the cake still warm or warm up leftovers in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. It is best served with vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle of more caramel sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cake can be kept covered at room temperature for 3 days. The caramel sauce can be kept in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
This cake can be eaten both hot or cold but I prefer it a little warm. You can eat it while it is still warm from baking or place leftovers into the microwave for 20-30 seconds to warm.
My favourite way to have this cake is with vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle of more caramel sauce but you can also have it plain, with different flavours of ice cream (honeycomb, sea salt and caramel would all be delicious), with whipped cream or custard.
For more Caramel Recipes, you can check out my Caramel Category, here.
Maybe you have lots of pumpkin puree and need to use it up, you can check out my Pumpkin Baking Recipes, here.
Pumpkin Spice Sticky Toffee Cake
Equipment
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- 1 Hand Blender or small food processor
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Electric whisk or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 small deep baking dish
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
Sticky Toffee Cake
- 50 grams dates chopped
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 50 grams boiling water
- 25 grams butter softened, but not melted
- 50 grams brown sugar
- 80 grams plain flour
- 1 whole egg
- 45 grams plain unsweetened yoghurt greek or natural
- 75 grams pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice or 1/4 tsp cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice and nutmeg
- 50 grams caramel sauce
Caramel Sauce
- 125 grams caster sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 35 grams butter
- 200 grams cream
Instructions
Sticky Toffee Cake
- In a small mixing bowl, add the dates,baking soda and boiling water. Leave for 10-15 minutes for the dates to soften and absorb the water.
- Puree the dates and water with a small food processor or hand blender until smooth. Leave to one side as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 175°c (350°f) or 165°c (330°f) if fan assisted.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, flour, egg, yoghurt, pumpkin, pumpkin spice and the blended date mix.
- Beat together for 2-3 minutes until a smooth batter has formed.
- Pour into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until the middle has risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Caramel Sauce
- Begin by adding the sugar and water to the saucepan.
- Cook on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the sugar starts to turn a light golden amber colour.
- Add in the butter and whisk well. Allow to cook for another minute.
- Carefully add in the cream to the hot sugar and whisk together.
- Allow the caramel to cook for another 4-5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved again and the caramel is a nice brown colour.
- Once the cake has cooked, remove it from the oven and poke multiple holes in the hot cake with a sharp knife or toothpick.
- Pour 50 grams of caramel sauce over the hot cake and leave for 5-10 minutes to allow the cake to soak up the sauce.
- Serve the cake still warm or warm up leftovers in the microwave fr 20-30 seconds.
- Best served with vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle of more caramel sauce.
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