Sticky, spiced toffee sauce smothers a warm date and almond cake that tastes like a cozy holiday evening. This sticky toffee bundt cake is made of rum and pumpkin pie spiced dates, almond flour, and crunchy toasted walnuts. The toffee topping has the same spices infused into a buttery rum brown sugar sauce that’s going to knock your tastebuds right to Christmas!
This cake reminds me of a Christmas fruit cake meets sticky toffee pudding. Don’t be scared away by the fruit cake part though, because it tastes the way you wish fruitcake did! This sticky toffee date bundt cake has a tender, soft, fluffy crumb, and a comforting, spicy fragrance. There is so much holiday flavor packed into every bite, along with sticky toffee and crunchy nuts. It’s such a homey, intriguing cake that will make you think of getting warm and festive this season.
I got close up shots throughout this post to show you how inviting a slice of toffee smothered date cake really is!
Once November arrives I am donning my Christmas PJ’s and asking Alexa for Michael Buble Christmas songs on repeat while I bake Butternut Squash Cake and Berry Brioche Pastries . Grant puts on a full outdoor display that I’m certain can be seen from space. However, he does wait to put it up until the week before Thanksgiving. I, on the other hand, have already starting the indoor decorations. I went Christmas crazy at a local holiday shop this year and the inside of our home is officially decked out. I even got the girls some teeny tiny trees to decorate and keep in their rooms. I’m so ready for the holiday cheer and recipes! So lets keep the countdown to Thanksgiving and Christmas going with this Sticky Toffee Date Bundt Cake.
Date Purée
The dates are infused throughout this brown sugar and buttermilk Bundt cake by making a bold and aromatic medjool date purée.
The purée consists of fresh pitted and chopped medjool dates, pumpkin pie spice, water, rum, and a touch of baking soda.
First, set a heavy bottom saucepan filled with the water over medium heat. Add the chopped dates. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the pumpkin pie spice and rum, and stir.
Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes. The dates will begin to absorb all of the water. Then add the baking soda. It will bubble up. Just like using baking soda in sauce, like in Apple Cake With Buttermilk Sauce, the baking soda yields in softening the texture. Stir and cook until the dates have absorbed all remaining liquid and are broken up easily when stirred. Use a wooden spoon to smash it until it’s like a chunky purée. Set aside to cool while you make the bundt cake batter.
Reserve the saucepan for the date and rum toffee sauce.
Sticky Toffee Date Bundt Cake
To make the Sticky Toffee Date Bundt cake batter, use room temperature ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 6 cup Bundt cake pan. Make sure to get butter into all of the crevices and up the middle of the pan as well. For more tips on how to ensure a clean release from a Bundt pan, read on.
*The addition of chopped walnuts is optional. For crunch and extra nuttiness, toast up walnuts. Do this by putting a 1/2 cup of walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast them at 350 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, until fragrant. Then chop them up. Make sure to turn oven down to 325 degrees.
Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter with the granulated and brown sugars for 10 minutes. It should be pale and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing for one minute in between each addition. Add the vanilla extract with the last egg. Scrape the bowl as necessary. Add the date purée and gently mix in.
Then in a separate bowl, whisk up the flours, salt, and baking powder. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed. Add half of the flour mixture. Once it is incorporated, add the buttermilk. Once that is incorporated, finish with the remaining flour mixture. *Then add toasted walnuts, if using. Alternatively, put walnuts along bottom of greased Bundt pan.
Don’t over mix or it will get dense. Use a spatula to pour it into the Bundt pan evenly. Hit the Bundt cake pan gently against the counter to settle the batter. Then bake for about 40-50 minutes, until it is risen, golden, and cooked through. Use a toothpick to check the cake to make sure it comes out clean.
Removing The Bundt Cake From Pan
Let the Bundt cake cool for 15- 20 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooking rack. Do not allow it to cool any longer or it could begin sticking to the pan.
Making Bundt cakes is similar to Madeleines when it comes to the pan. There are tons of crevices that can cause cake to stick when releasing. It takes extra care for clean release. To ensure the date and almond Bundt cake doesn’t stick to the pan try these tips.
1. Thoroughly grease the Bundt cake pan prior to filling it. Get into every crevice and all over the middle.
2. Do not allow the cake to cool for too long in the Bundt cake pan. It will begin to stick.
3. Use a sharp knife, like a paring, to gentle pull cake away from the sides of the pan. Go around and do this where all the grooves are. Give it a shake to loosen.
4. Once the Bundt is flipped onto the cooking rack or platter, hit around it to loosen the cake. Wear oven mitts since the cake pan is still hot.
Sticky Toffee Sauce
So this date and almond Bundt cake is tasty and so delicious without the sauce. But with the toffee sauce… wowza!
While the cake continues to cool make the sticky spiced toffee sauce. Warning, your entire house is about to smell like the holidays!
Who else loves toffee sauce? I’m all things butterscotch and rum, so this sauce is next level when it comes to taste. This sauce is a buttery, warm, rich, deep, and holiday spiced. It’s sticky and has fresh dates thickening it up. It’s so luscious and would make an amazing holiday ice cream topping or sauce for my Chai Bundt cake or Sweet Potato Cupcakes With Marshmallow Buttercream.
To make this spicy rum and date toffee sauce, melt the butter in the same saucepan you used for making the date cake infusion. The leftover bits of purée add even more deliciousness to this toffee sauce. Set the pan over medium heat to melt the butter. Then add the rest of the ingredients except for the rum and vanilla extract. Stir well and bring up to a low boil.
Allow the sauce to boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently as it thickens. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools, so keep that in mind so you don’t end up cooking it too long. Then remove from the heat and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract.
Then just smother the date and almond Bundt cake with the sauce anyway you like.
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Happy Holidays!
XO,
Sarita
Sticky Toffee Date Cake
Sticky, spiced toffee sauce smothers a warm date and almond cake that tastes like a cozy holiday evening. This sticky toffee bundt cake is made of rum and pumpkin pie spiced dates, almond flour, and crunchy toasted walnuts.
Ingredients
Date Puree
- 12 Medjool Dates pitted and chopped
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Date and Almond Bundt Cake
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted room temperature
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup All purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2/3 cup buttermilk shaken
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
Spiced Toffee Sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice homemade or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 2 medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
-
DATE PURÉE
First, set a heavy bottom saucepan filled with the water over medium heat. Add the chopped dates. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the pumpkin pie spice and rum, and stir.
Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes. The dates will begin to absorb all of the water. Then add the baking soda. It will bubble up. Stir and cook until the dates have absorbed all remaining liquid and are broken up easily when stirred. Use a wooden spoon to smash it until it’s like a chunky purée. Set aside to cool while you make the bundt cake batter.
Reserve the saucepan for the date and rum toffee sauce.
DATE & ALMOND BUNDT CAKE
To make the Bundt cake batter, use room temperature ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Butter a 6 cup Bundt cake pan. Make sure to get butter into all of the crevices and up the middle of the pan as well. For more tips on how to ensure a clean release from a Bundt pan, read on.
Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the butter with the granulated and brown sugars for 10 minutes. It should be pale and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing for one minute in between each addition. Add the vanilla extract with the last egg. Scrape the bowl as necessary. Add the date purée.
Then in a separate bowl, whisk up the flours, salt, and baking powder. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed. Add half of the flour mixture. Once it is incorporated, add the buttermilk. Once that is incorporated, finish with the remaining flour mixture. *Then add toasted walnuts, if using. Alternatively, put walnuts along bottom of greased Bundt pan.
Don’t over mix or it will get dense. Use a spatula to pour it into the Bundt pan evenly. Hit the Bundt cake pan gently against the counter to settle the batter. Then bake for about 40-50 minutes, until it is risen, golden, and cooked through. Use a toothpick to check the cake to make sure it comes out clean.
STICKY TOFFEE SAUCE
To make this spicy rum and date toffee sauce, melt the butter in the same saucepan you used for making the date cake infusion. The leftover bits of purée add even more deliciousness to this toffee sauce. Set the pan over medium heat.
Then add remaining ingredients.
Allow the sauce to boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently as it thickens. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so keep that in mind so you don’t end up cooking it too long. Then remove from the heat and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract.
Then just smother the date and almond Bundt cake with the sauce anyway you like.
Recipe Notes
Chopped walnuts is optional. For crunch and extra nuttiness, toast up walnuts. Do this by putting a 1/2 cup of walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast them at 350 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, until fragrant. Then chop them up. Make sure to turn oven down to 325 degrees.
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