Sticky toffee pudding cake

I am a recent convert to sticky toffee pudding and now I cannot get enough of it comforting sticky goodness. It was cold and dark outside and the news was somewhat depressing and I decided a comforting cake was needed. So I concocted a plan to put all the comforting loveliness of sticky toffee pudding in a cake.

This cake was a bit of an experiment but it did all it was supposed too and more. It was absolutely delicious warm from the oven with a little yoghurt and drizzle of maple syrup. It also kept very well and was perfect with a morning cuppa.

I reckon with buttercream of your choice and a bit of decoration this could be an excellent celebration cake as an alternative to chocolate.

I love this cake so much that is is a strong contender to be a layer in my wedding cake... if that does not convince you to try it I do not know what will!

Sticky toffee pudding cake

150g pecan
200g stoned dates
200g dairy free or lactose free spread (I used lactofree this time)
140g light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 medium eggs
140g self raising GF flour

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin.

Tip 100g of the pecans into a processor and whizz until fine then continue to process until it becomes a paste, like peanut butter. Add the dates and blend until a thick smooth paste forms. If your dates are a bit dry put them into a small pan with enough water to cover, boil for 5 mins until very soft. Drain, discarding the liquid, then whizz in the processor with the ground pecans until smooth. 

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and creamy, then tip in the dates and pecans paste, eggs and a pinch of salt and beat briefly until smooth. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon, then spoon into the tin and level the top. 

Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top (don’t press them in), then bake for 1 hour mins or until risen and golden and a skewer comes out clean. You may have to cover the top of the cake with foil to stop the top of the cake and pecans catching and getting too dark.

Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool  completely.

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Toffee bakewell cupcakes

The book for this months Cupcake book club, hosted by Kelly over at American cupcake in London, was Hot cakes by Kim Newman-Wood.

I am not entirely sure what to think of the book, It started off well enough and I was enjoying it. By the end though, I am not sure that I entirely liked any of the characters which was rather odd!

The cupcake recipes however sounded delicious. There was one that I had to make otherwise I think Mark would have kicked me out of the house and changed the locks. So I made the toffee bakewell cupcakes but there is perhaps one more I will make before the deadline for this month is up.

These cupcakes intrigued me. I often make cupcakes, and once they are baked, remove a cone and add a filling. This recipe however added the caramel to the centre of the cake before baking. I.e. half fill the case with batter, add a teaspoon of caramel, add the remaining batter to cover the caramel then bake. I could not help wondering would it work?

Answer, yes it did. Saying that, although I put the caramel in the centre, it definitely sank during baking, so I would maybe add the caramel two thirds of the way up to combat this.

The cake is an almond flavoured sponge with a caramel filling. I swirled almond and caramel buttercream over the top.

Its a little hard to tell but the buttercreams are different colours. I finally drizzled caramel on the top. For the caramel, you can make it using condensed milk, or carnation handily sell tins of ready made caramel now.

Toffee apple cupcakes

Bonfire night makes me think about, among other things, toffee apples. I have not been to many bonfires, but I seem to remember toffee apple from the ones I have.

In honour of this I made toffee apple cupcakes. The exact recipe is in the love bakery cookbook.

It is an apple and cinnamon cupcake with a toffee frosting and a chunk of fudge on the top.

I will admit I had major issues with the frosting, my fudge did not really want to soften and the second it hit my frosting it solidified again and did not blend in.
So what I actually have is an apple cake with a vanilla frosting studded with chunks of fudge. Its not really the end of the world, it still tastes yummy.

If I were making this frosting again I would either use dulce de leche or find some softer fudge to begin with.

Cinder toffee biscuits

It may be true that these little biscuits are better suited to autumn, with thoughts of wrapping up warm, crunching through leaves and bonfires. It may also be true that June calls out for fruity seasonal delights suited to warm clear days.

But this is Scotland, its June yes, but it is grey, miserable and raining. I just do not have the heart for summery baking, and so cinder toffee biscuits it is.

I have never made cinder toffee before but it is surprisingly easy. If you like crunchies you will love these biscuits. Crunchy biscuits with a chocolate centre, topped with chocolate and homemade cinder toffee, these lovlies are enough to cheer up any rainy day.

Cinder toffee biscuits (adapted very slightly form Miranda Gore Browne, Biscuit)


For the biscuit


150g butter
50g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
15g golden syrup
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
240g plain flour
75g chopped milk chocolate
75g milk chocolate


For the cinder toffee


70g caster sugar
10g golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda


Preheat the oven to 180/160 FAN, and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.


Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan until just boiling then take off the heat. Mix the milk and bicarbonate of soda together and stir into the pan. 


Weigh the flour into a separate bowl and add the melted mix to the flour, stiring with a wooden spoon until combined.


Roll the mixture into 20 balls and flatten each one to a disc.

Add a little of the chopped chocolate.

Reseal into a ball and put seam side down onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool. 

To make the cinder toffee first line a shallow baking tray with baking paper and put by the hob. Melt the sugar and golden syrup together in a pan and allow to boil, cook for 2 minutes or so until golden. 

Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir well, the mixture will bubble up. Very quickly pour into the prepared tray. Allow to cool, about 15 minutes, and then snap into pieces.

Once the biscuits are cool, melt the remaining chocolate and spread a teaspoonful on top of each biscuit. Sprinkle with the cinder toffee.

Keep any remaining cinder toffee in a sealed container.


These are delicious and I dare you to try and stop at just one!