Sticky Toffee Pudding Loaf Cake Recipe

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Loaf cakes are often thought of as a more low-key, rustic style of cake — and, in many ways, that sentiment is completely true. Nearly any loaf cake recipe requires the use of only a single pan, and there’s no stressful assembling stage where you frost and stack up layers of sponge. Loaf cakes are a great choice if you are looking for a simple, sliceable, everyday cake, or something that’s slightly elevated for a dinner party without being fussy.

This sticky toffee pudding loaf cake recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, requires perhaps a little more effort than your usual loaf cake, but any extra labor is very much worth it. Inspired by the classic British dessert sticky toffee pudding, this loaf cake is infused with dates and black treacle, as well as along with warming spices like cinnamon and ginger, to create a wonderfully moist and dense sponge that is rich, cozy, and wonderfully decadent. 

As an homage to the traditional British pudding, this sticky toffee loaf cake is finished off with a thick toffee sauce and a toffee sauce infused buttercream, for a truly indulgent cake that is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. With such rich and warming flavors, this loaf cake makes the perfect accompaniment to chilly fall and winter days, so read on to find out how to whip up this sticky toffee pudding loaf cake for yourself.

For the loaf cake itself you will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt. To complete the batter you will need butter, dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, treacle, pitted dates, got water, baking soda, and vanilla extract. 

As for the sticky toffee sauce, you will want heavy whipping cream, black treacle, dark brown sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Finally, to frost your cake, you will also need powdered sugar and more butter.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Soak the chopped dates in hot water with baking soda until softened, roughly 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the softened dates and water to a food processor and add the vanilla. Blend to form a smooth puree.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy.

Add the eggs to the sugar/butter mixture one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition.

Mix the black treacle and date puree into the sugar/butter mixture.

Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredient mixture, forming the cake batter.

Transfer the cake batter to the prepared loaf tin, smoothing out the top with a knife or spoon.

Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Set the loaf cake aside to cool.

Make the sticky toffee sauce: Add the cream, black treacle, brown sugar, and butter to a saucepan.

Stir the ingredients over a medium-high heat until the sauce is combined.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened.

Remove the sauce from the heat and mix in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool fully.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter and the powdered sugar together.

Add in ⅓ cup of the cooled sticky toffee sauce, beating to fully combine the frosting.

Frost the cooled loaf cake with the sticky toffee buttercream.

Drizzle the cake with the sticky toffee sauce, reserving some for serving with individual slices.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of dining in a British pub, you’ll likely have come across sticky toffee pudding as a dessert option. This pudding is considered to be a traditional British dessert, known for its moist, date-infused sponge that is typically served warm and drenched in a rich toffee sauce. It is an all-time favorite pudding (that more closely resembles a cake than actual pudding) for many a Brit, though the origin story for sticky toffee pudding may be more dramatic than the dessert itself. It’s widely accepted that the dessert originated in a Northern British county called Cumbria, but this may not be entirely true. While this small village today has a huge trade in sticky toffee pudding, the dessert may have originated elsewhere — in Britain for certain, but the exact location is harder to pinpint.

Though the true origins of sticky toffee pudding may have been lost to history, it is a dessert that is considered to be a quintessential British pudding. Our resident British recipe developer Rye was inspired by this beloved dessert, and utilized many of its key features to assemble this loaf cake recipe. The sponge is similarly infused with dates and is filled with rich, warm, caramel flavors through the use of black treacle, brown sugar, and spices such as cinnamon and ginger. No sticky toffee pudding would be complete without toffee sauce, and the same goes for this loaf cake, with a homemade toffee sauce that is both infused into the buttercream and then drizzled onto the top.

While the base ingredients of this sticky toffee pudding loaf cake require careful balancing to produce a rich, moist sponge, there are still several elements of the recipe that you can adapt if you are feeling creative. Firstly, while this specific recipe uses ground cinnamon and ginger to add warmth and depth to the cake, you can either omit these ingredients or substitute in your own preferred spices. Cardamom or pumpkin spice would each add their own unique spiced warmth to this cake. If you would like to add some texture, you can fold in some chopped walnuts or pecans to add a nutty twist. If you are feeling more adventurous, you can also swap out or supplement the dates with another fruit, figs, apples, and pears both make popular choices, each adding moisture and fruity sweetness.

You can also add your own spin to the toffee sauce by adding spices such as ginger, cinnamon, or nutmeg. A small amount of miso will add an elegant salty, savory element to cut through the sweetness. Or, add a subtle boozy touch with a dash of your favorite warming liqueur.

If you are looking to make this into a more simple, rustic, and comforting treat, Rye recommends omitting the buttercream stage entirely, and instead serving slices of the loaf cake warm, with a hefty dollop of warmed toffee sauce and a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.