This recipe combines two favourites — carrot cake and sticky toffee pudding — and the result just may be better than the sum of its parts. This version is a great gluten-free option for the holidays, but feel free to use regular all-purpose flour. And if you're in the carrot cake with raisins and nuts camp, go ahead and add those as well.
Instructions
Carrot cake
1 cup dates
1 cup water
¾ cup flour (we used ½ cup sweet rice flourand ¼ cup cassava flour) or regular all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup carrot, shredded
¼ cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Nuts, raisins, optional
Toffee sauce
1/3 cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
In a small pot, add all the ingredients and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat and reserve. This sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated. If you are taking it out of the fridge, make sure you bring it up to room temperature before adding it to the cake.
In a small pot, add the dates and water and place over medium heat until the water comes to a simmer. Turn the heat off and let the dates stand in the pot until they are no longer hot. The dates should be quite soft. Add the dates and water to a blender and purée. Reserve.
In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, add the melted butter, brown sugar, egg and date purée and whisk together. Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir until well mixed.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Pour the batter into a 9-inch cooking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake is set. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and flip the cake onto a plate.
Pour a quarter of the toffee sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Place the cake back into the dish and pour the remainder of the sauce over the cake. Place the cake back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving with ice cream. If you want to go more of a traditional carrot cake route, let the cake cool completely and top a scoop of ice cream or your favourite cream cheese icing.
