Dark and Stormy Sticky Toffee Pudding
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If you like the Dark and Stormy cocktail, then you'll love this Sticky Toffee Pudding! The classic British dessert gets an upgrade with spicy ginger and dark, tropical rum. Top these melt-in-your-mouth moist cakes with an easy butter rum sauce for an unforgettably boozy treat!
If you follow me on Istagram, then you know that all this week I am sharing manly desserts in honor of Father's Day this weekend.
What qualifies as a manly dessert? In my mind, it can be any number of things. Desserts with a spicy kick. Sweet/salty desserts, especially those that include bacon. Peanut butter. Boozy treats. It's completely subjective, I know, but this is just how I personally see it. And this particular recipe hits quite a few of those bullet points.
Not to mention the fact that my hubby (aka my kids' dad) has been luuuurving the Dark and Stormy cocktail of late. If you've never had one, brace yourself because it just may become your new favorite summer drink. It's simple as can be- nothing more than dark, tropical rum topped with spicy ginger beer. If you're a fan of the Moscow Mule, you'll probably really enjoy a Dark and Stormy too- it's equally fizzy and refreshing, but with a bit more complexity.
And I thought the flavors would translate really well into this spin on the traditional British sticky toffee pudding. It's not actually pudding, at least not in the American sense of the word. In England, all desserts are referred to as puddings, even moist and buttery, melt-in-your mouth cakes like this one.
Turns out I was right. Soaking the dates in rum was a very good move. Infusing the batter with lots of pungent ginger is something that we all should have been doing right from the start. And the butter rum sauce brings it all together in the most delectable way.
- I love using Gourmet Garden Ginger for recipes like this (and I'm not being paid to say that!). It's so much easier than peeling and grating it myself, and whenever I have a knob of the fresh stuff in my fridge it inevitably goes shrivelly and moldy before I have a chance to use it all. That said, fresh ginger would work equally well. Or you could substitute with about 1 ½ teaspoons of dried, ground ginger.
- I thought the butter rum sauce tasted really boozy and almost bitter by itself. At first I thought I might have a recipe fail on my hands. But, along with the cake, it all came together. However, if you're not always a fan of really boozy desserts, you could always omit or reduce the amount of rum, or try using this salted caramel sauce instead.
- These would be even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Wishing all the Dads out there the most fun and relaxing Father's Day! You guys so deserve it, for all that you do, and we love ya to pieces!
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Dark and Stormy Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
For the Sticky Toffee Cakes
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) dark rum, (such as Gosling brand)
- ½ cup (73.5 g) chopped dried dates
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick), softened
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar,, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla bean paste, (extract may be substituted)
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
For the Butter Rum Sauce
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (83.33 ml) water
- ¼ cup (59.5 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dark rum,, optional
Instructions
To make the Sticky Toffee Cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and generously grease and flour (4) 8-ounce wide-mouth jelly jars.
- Place the dates in a small pot, along with the rum.
- Heat over medium high heat until boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the dates are softened.
- Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.
- Transfer the mixture to a food processor or mini chopper and process until smooth.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the egg, ginger, and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then stir in the reserved date mixture, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Divide the mixture equally between the prepared jars, and bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool slightly and top with warm Butter Rum Sauce.
To make the Butter Rum Sauce:
- Place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat, occasionally swirling the pan, until it turns a deep amber color.
- Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the cream.
- Stir in the butter and salt, and remove from the heat.
- Add the dark rum and transfer the mixture to a heat safe vessel to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
Author
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Have a question about this recipe? Ask AI:
Looks so decadent!
This is literally my fav dessert!!
Typo.... Meant awesome
This looks awesomeness maybe I'm just missing it but when do you ever mix in or use the dates mixture from step 2?
Thank you so much for pointing out my omission, Paul! The dates go in just before the flour. I've updated the recipe card. Thanks again and enjoy!
Just checking my FB feed - Gosling's Rum has shared my post of your recipe and shared it with their 62K followers!
That's so great!
What a great idea for re-working our national drink! I wonder if I could sub Barrit's ginger beer for the water in the sauce.
Will be posting this on FB for all my fellow Bermudians to see!
Hooray! Hope you and your Facebook friends enjoy! Thanks so much Jackie!
Great Blog with beautiful photos, I just stumbled upon it, so glad I did. Sophia xx
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you did too! Thanks for the sweet comment Sophia!
Allie - I'm in love! My dad would go nuts over these. I wasn't able to spend actual Father's Day with my dad, but we went out on Friday to celebrate. Thank you for sharing these with us. I'll have to make these for my dad soon.
That's so nice! I'm so glad you got to spend some QT with your dad. Hugs to you both and thanks for the sweet comment!
Oh my, I would pay good money to have you bring some of these beauties over to my house right now, Allie. With an extra few cups of the sauce, just for sipping throughout the day, you know. 🙂
Haha love it! Thanks so much Nicole!
I'm already in love with this dessert just by looking at it, so decadent, exquisite and rich! Allie, also your photography is beautiful, love your blog and personality!
Aw, thank you so much Katalina! That is such a wonderful compliment and it truly means the world to me!
Oh my goodness, this looks so gorgeous, Allie! I've never had a sticky toffee pudding before but the I love the sound of the flavors - so decadent and delicious! Hope Mr. Allie had a wonderful Father's Day! 🙂
Thanks Kelly! I hope your hubby did too!
This looks too gorgeous to eat, Allie! I've never had a toffee pudding but I love toffee, so I'm sure I'd love this.
I bet you would too Jen! Thanks so much and have a great week!
LOVE this! Sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourite childhood puddings! So good - love the boozy twist on this, Allie! Your pictures are stunning!
Hooray! So happy to get the approval of a real-deal Brit! Thanks so much Jess 😀
Now that I've read this recipe of yours, adding something boozy to the sauce sounds as natural as anything. Love the addition of the ginger, too.
You've also got me really intrigued about that cocktail. Got to try one of those.
P.S. I also love how you've drizzled the sauce on these so perfectly! I'm afraid I would drown my pudding with half the sauce, but the way you've done them looks so elegant!
Aw, thanks Helen! I can be so superficial when it comes to stuff like that- careful and a bit stingy with the sauce for photos, but the minute I'm done snapping I go right ahead drown it before scarfing it down, lol! So happy you liked this and yes! Try the cocktail! You won't be disappointed!
This is an inspired and delicious-sounding twist on a nostalgic recipe - love it!
Yay! Thank you so much! xo
Obsessed with the name of these toffee puddings. It's winter and rainy here in Australia - so hearty and comforting desserts like these are definitely in order!
That's so great- it's perfect for those kinds of days because it is a bit of a comfort dish. So happy you like it, thank you Thalia!