STICKY TOFFEE CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL

7 Dec

Written By Lisa King

INGREDIENTS

Caramel

150g soft brown sugar

62g butter

50ml whole milk

50 double cream

Large Pinch sea salt (we use Cornish or Maldon)

Cream cheese Icing

125g butter (soft)

400g icing sugar

200g cream cheese (fridge temp)

1tsp vanilla bean paste (we use Nielsen Massey)

Cake mix

435g chopped pitted dates and enough boiling water to cover them

195g butter (soft)

360g muscavado sugar

435g self raising flour (sifted)

2 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (sifted)

4 1/2 eggs lightly whisked

METHOD

Caramel:

Mix all ingredients together (apart from salt) until meted on a low heat. Increase heat to medium and simmer for 10mins (stir continuously). Taste and add salt accordingly. Transfer to a heat proof bowl and chill in fridge to thicken up (this will take at least an hour!)

Cake mix:

Pre-heat oven to 170 fan (you might need it a touch less than this, so keep an eye on it to ensure the batter doesn’t bubble over at the beginning. Grease and line the bottom and sides of two 8” cake tins. Cover dates in boiling water and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs gradually to the butter and sugar mix, ensuring it doesn’t split. If it does, add a little flour to bind it together again. Once the eggs are added, using a spatula, fold in the rest of the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Drain the dates, discarding the water and add them to the mix. Carefully fold everything together insuring there are no flour pockets. Divide the mix between the two tins and bake for approx 45 mins. Check if it’s cooked by inserting a clean knife. The blade should come out clean. If it doesn’t, pop it in for a further 5 mins and check again. Once baked, cool in tins for 10 mins, the out-turn the cakes and wrap the sponges in cling film and allow to cool completely.

Cream cheese icing:

Mix the butter and icing sugar together in a stand mixer, until fully mixed and no lumps of butter remain. Add cream cheese, mix again for at least three minutes until the icing is smooth and fluffy. Add 1tsp of vanilla paste and mix again.

Construct cake by sandwiching the two sponges together with icing and caramel in the middle and ontop. If you prefer the caramel a bit more runny, pop it in the microwave for 5 seconds. Enjoy!