Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

This unassuming aluminum tray contains one of the most decadent desserts I have ever eaten.  Two of them arrived on our doorstep along with two jars of toffee sauce just before Christmas, courtesy of Karen.  She and I are both sticky toffee pudding fans.  If you aren’t familiar with this treat, it is an extremely moist and light cake made with dates, then smothered in toffee sauce.  It is as incredibly rich as it sounds.  Sticky toffee pudding is a traditional English dessert that has found an enthusiastic fan base in America.

The English Pudding Co. was founded in 1998 by Simon Johns, whose family is well known for its sticky toffee pudding sold in England’s Lake District.  Simon spent 16 years working and training in restaurants and hotels in England, Canada, America and Asia. He has received rave reviews on his mother’s sticky toffee pudding recipe.  The dessert requires a little assembly when it arrives.  The toffee sauce is warmed in the microwave for just a few seconds until it is soft enough to spread over the cake in the aluminum pan.  This helps keep the cake moist until it is served.  I tasted the toffee sauce after it was warm, and it was a miracle any made it to the cake! YUM!  The cake can then be refrigerated for four weeks or frozen for six months.  (I can’t imagine any way this would last in our refrigerator for four weeks.)   Serving is a snap.  Just slice the cake and heat in the microwave until the cake is warm and the toffee sauce is puddled on the plate, about 20 seconds.

This dessert is “scrape the plate” good.  Sticky toffee pudding is traditionally served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but it pretty awesome solo. The only thing that would have made it more enjoyable would have been if Karen had been here to taste it with us!  There’s another pudding cake in the freezer, so maybe we can share that one–if she hurries!  XO, Karen.  This was an awesome treat!