from Dirty Food
These soft, sticky cakes are moist with soft dates and, in this case, a ripe banana. They’re doused in toffee sauce at the stove, the table or both – if you like, poke the surface of the warm cakes with a skewer or chopstick and pour half over, saving the rest for everyone to help themselves.
Ingredients
1 generous cup chopped, pitted dates (about 175g)
1 tsp baking soda
1 very ripe banana
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed, brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Sticky Toffee Sauce
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup butter
¼ cup golden syrup or maple syrup
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a small saucepan, bring the dates to a simmer with 1 cup of water. Cook for a few minutes, until the dates are very soft, then remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda (it will get foamy). Pour into a bowl, squish in the banana and roughly mash with a potato masher or a fork.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until sandy; add the eggs and vanilla and beat for a few minutes, until pale and light. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir (or beat on low) just until blended. Stir in the date mixture, and then the remaining dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
Pour the batter into a well greased Bundt pan or divide between 12 greased (not paper lined) muffin tins. Bake for 30 minutes (for muffins) to 45 minutes (Bundt) or until deep golden and springy to the touch. Let cool slightly on a wire rack and invert onto a plate while still warm.
To make the sauce, bring the brown sugar, cream, butter, syrup and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking until well blended and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool slightly – the sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve individual cakes or wedges drenched with toffee sauce, with whipped or ice cream on top or on the side.
Serves about 12.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: I made mine in a square cake pan. The family loved it so I’ll make the cupcake version for birthdays coming up and fancy them up with whipped cream or smothered with ice cream…yum!
Contents and images used with permission by Julie Van Rosendaal. https://dinner-with-julie.square.site/product/dirty-food/7?si=true
