Spiced Sticky Toffee Cake
Nothing is quite as tasty as sweet & spicy cake treat to enjoy over the weekend, for Halloween, for Thanksgiving, or indeed for any day of the week!
Here is one of my favourite cake recipes for you to enjoy making in the comfort of your own kitchen.
A double layer round cake serves 8-12 (obviously depending on your cake slices :)
Ingredients below is to make 1 layer so double to make 2 layers sandwich cake with filling
The ingredients below also makes 12 cupcakes, 1 layer bundt cake or a loaf cake
Dry Ingredients
240g self-raising flour (self-raising gluten free flour works well - I use Dove’s Farm brand)
160g brown or coconut sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
Dates mix
300g mejdool dates pitted
1/2 tsp mixed spice (blend of nutmeg, cloves & cinnamon)
1/2 tsp of bicarbonate soda
Wet Ingredients
200ml plant-based milk of choice
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
70ml sunflower/rapeseed oil
Buttercream
100g plant-based spread
200g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1-2 tbsp plant-based milk
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180C/360F
In a bowl, add the dates, spices and 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate soda with 200ml just boiled water and leave to one side
Make the plant-based buttercream by mixing the milk and vinegar and leave to one side for 10 minutes until the ingredients have curdled
In another bowl mix all the dry ingredients
Add the butter milk and oil to make a smooth batter
Grease a 9” cake tin and pour the cake batter in
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes (until a tooth pick or skewer comes out clean)
Meanwhile in a food processor mix the dates mixture up until you have a smooth puree. You may need to add a few tablespoons of extra water to get a smooth texture, not too thick
Once cakes are ready, leave to one side to cool down for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack
Taking one of the cake sponges, whilst warm, spread 2-4 tbsp of the date mix on the top (this will be your top layer cake) and leave both cakes to one side until they have completely cooled down
In a bowl with a food mixer or using an electric mixer add the plant-based spread, icing sugar and vanilla essence and start to mix until you have a thick creamy mixture. If too thick add some plant-based milk, if too wet, add more icing sugar until you have the right texture
Once the cake sponges have cooled down, put the bottom layer sponge onto your serving cake stand or plate, spread the buttercream evenly and add the remaining date mix over the buttercream and swirl in with a fork
Put the top layer cake sponge, slice, serve and enjoy!
Walnuts go really well with dates and sweetness so crush a few and sprinkle on top of your cake, whichever style you choose to make - this recipe is really versatile!
