Smother Your Valentine With Recipes By Pam: Date Night Cake

Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with a creamy Dulce de leche center, smothered in a rich toffee sauce served with ice cream and lots of love. Bake this for your valentine and you’ll be sure to be onto date number two.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Serving: 2
Prep Time: 3-4 Hours (20 Minutes if made without Dulce de leche filling)
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

Cake
75g Dark-brown sugar
45g Salted butter or Margarine at room temperature
1 large egg
95g Plain flour
½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
½ Teaspoon baking powder
115g roughly chopped Dates
120ml Hot water
½ teaspoon baking soda

Filling (Optional)
65g Sprinkled & Spiced Dulce De leche (available in store)

Sauce
60g Butter (not margarine)
100g Dark-brown sugar
100ml whipped cream

Directions
Center:
• Scoop 4 tablespoons of Dulce de leche and roll into balls
• Place onto a plate or tray lined with cling film.
• Transfer to freezer to harden completely, and set aside.

Cake
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease a 7 inch Heart shaped pan with butter and sprinkle flour to coat the pan and set aside.
• Place dates and hot water into a bowl, and let it soak for 15 minutes.
• Stir in baking soda into the date mix.
• In a separate bowl whisk together flour and baking powder.
• In another large bowl, mix together sugar and butter until it is pale and fluffy.
• Slowly beat in the egg, till it is well incorporated.
• Add half the flour mixture to the butter and egg mix, stirring until combined.
• Add in the date and flour mixture and beat for several minutes. (Do not over mix.)
• Pour half of the date batter into the prepared baking pan, place the now frozen Dulce de leche balls evenly around the center of the batter, and pour the remaining date batter
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until cake is puffed and springs back in center when touched with a finger.

Sauce:
• Place butter, sugar, and cream in a medium sized saucepan and boil for 4 minutes until sauce thickens. Stirring continuously so the sauce doesn’t burn or stick.
• Remove cake from oven, while warm, pierce several holes in the cake with a toothpick.
• Pour half of hot sauce over cake and let it soak for 20 minutes.

Serve warm with the remaining sauce and incorporate a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream and Valentine sprinkles. “Date Night” cupcake available in store from 7th Feb – 14th Feb.

For more yummy Valentines desserts and pastries visit us at our bakery, Sprinkled & Spiced at 27 Ribadu (By Norma Willam Gate), Ikoyi Lagos and Follow us on Instagram @sprinkledspiced for special offers and promotions this valentines.

Pamela Adunola
Owner & Head Pastry Chef
Sprinkled & Spiced