Open in Crouton
Sticky toffee pudding has a sticky origin story. Cumbria claims it through Sharrow Bay, Scotland has its own claim, and there is a Canadian-by-way-of-Lancashire thread running through the whole thing. This version sidesteps the argument with a blender, a rice cooker, and a microwave: dates, baking soda, and boiling water become a smooth dark puree; the rice cooker bakes the cake; and the microwave makes the muscovado toffee in a minute. It is still tender, date-rich, and properly sticky, just with less ceremony and fewer dishes.
Yield
6 to 8 servingsPrep
30 minutesCook
about 1 hourHello there 👋
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Ingredients
For the date puree
225g
pitted dates
4g
baking soda
375g
boiling water
For the cake
75g
granulated sugar
5g
salt
4g
vanilla extract
100g
eggs (about 2 large eggs)
85g
cold unsalted butter
110g
all-purpose flour
14g
baking powder
For the toffee
100g
dark muscovado sugar (or 80g dark brown sugar plus 20g molasses)
25g
unsalted butter
50g
heavy cream
25g
whiskey
Flaky salt, as needed
Steps
1
Add dates and baking soda to a blender, pour in boiling water from a tea kettle, and blend from low to high until smooth. Start slow so the hot, sticky mixture does not erupt.
2
Cool the date puree below the melting point of butter, about 100°F.
3
Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and cold butter, then blend on high until smooth and emulsified.
4
Reduce blender speed to a steady vortex, then pour the flour and baking powder into the center of the vortex to avoid it sticking to the sides of the pitcher, then blend just until combined.
5
Pour batter into a nonstick rice cooker bowl. If the bowl is not nonstick, butter and flour it first.
6
Cook on cake mode until the center is above 185°F, about 1 hour. Use porridge or steam mode if cake mode is unavailable.
7
Cool the cake fully to room temperature, or chill until cold. Slap the side of the bowl firmly to loosen the cake, then invert onto a plate.
8
Microwave dark muscovado sugar, butter, and cream in the empty rice cooker bowl for 1 minute. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, then stir in whiskey.
9
Return the cake to the bowl, browned side down, so it can soak up the toffee. Put the bowl back in the rice cooker and hold on keep warm mode until ready to serve.
10
Invert the cake onto a serving plate and finish with flaky salt. Serve with an extra batch of toffee on the side for a more generously sauced pudding.
Notes
Technical Notes
Baking soda and boiling water soften the dates and help them blend into a smooth puree. The alkaline mixture also deepens the color and flavor. Let the puree cool before adding the eggs and butter; if it is hot enough to melt the butter on contact, the batter loses the solid fat crystals that help stabilize tiny air bubbles during mixing. When the puree is cool enough for the butter to blend in as solid fat, those air cells survive; as the cake heats, carbon dioxide from the baking powder enlarges them before the egg and starch set the crumb, producing a cake-like texture instead of a dense, gummy set.
Rice cookers decide when to stop heating by watching the temperature of the metal bowl. In a basic rice cycle, the bowl stays near the boiling point of water while rice is wet, then climbs above boiling once the water is absorbed, which tells the cooker to shut off. Cake batter does not behave like rice, so a basic rice cycle can stop too soon. Cake, porridge, and steam modes keep applying heat longer, which gives the batter time to set.
Baking soda and boiling water soften the dates and help them blend into a smooth puree. The alkaline mixture also deepens the color and flavor. Let the puree cool before adding the eggs and butter; if it is hot enough to melt the butter on contact, the batter loses the solid fat crystals that help stabilize tiny air bubbles during mixing. When the puree is cool enough for the butter to blend in as solid fat, those air cells survive; as the cake heats, carbon dioxide from the baking powder enlarges them before the egg and starch set the crumb, producing a cake-like texture instead of a dense, gummy set.
Rice cookers decide when to stop heating by watching the temperature of the metal bowl. In a basic rice cycle, the bowl stays near the boiling point of water while rice is wet, then climbs above boiling once the water is absorbed, which tells the cooker to shut off. Cake batter does not behave like rice, so a basic rice cycle can stop too soon. Cake, porridge, and steam modes keep applying heat longer, which gives the batter time to set.