Spicy Sweet Potato: Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is a classic British dessert that doesn’t actually involve pudding. Instead, this delicious dessert is comprised of a very moist cake that’s filled with dates and drenched in a gooey toffee sauce. I first sampled this decadent dish while in York, England and loved it so much that I was inspired to create my own version. My recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding still involves a date cake smothered in a gooey sauce but it also contains a few ingredients that you won’t find in the traditional pudding such as grated carrots, almond milk, and oats. While my lightened up and gluten free toffee pudding might not be exactly like the original it is still a wonderfully indulgent and delicious treat. Plus, this version is ridiculously easy to make--the majority of the work is done in the microwave.

Sticky Toffee Pudding
Gluten Free
Serves Four
Click Here for Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
Cake:
2.5 ounces (approx. 3 large) medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped (about 2 ounces once pitted)
1 medium carrot (about 2.5 ounces), peeled and grated
¾ cup unsweetened original almond milk (like the kind Silk)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup + 2 tablespoons Gluten Free Flour Mix
¼ cup gluten free oats (I always use GF Harvest)
¼ cup Truvia Sweetener
1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Toffee Sauce:
5 tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup
1 teaspoon molasses
¼ cup unsweetened original almond milk (8)
2 tablespoons Truvia Sweetener
½ teaspoon cocoa
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Special Equipment:
(4) small round ramekins (approximately 8 ounces--I used 4 of the Le Creuset Petite Round Casserole Dishes )

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray ramekins with nonstick spray, then set aside.

2. Add dates, and carrots to a medium, microwave safe mixing bowl. Pour in milk and stir to combine ingredients.

3. Microwave mixture 1.5- 2 minutes or until heated through, stopping at 30 second intervals to stir.

4. Carefully remove bowl from microwave and stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda.

5. Add remaining cake ingredients to mixing bowl (flour, oats, Truvia, pumpkin, molasses, vanilla, and salt). Stir well until all ingredients are evenly incorporated into batter.

6. Add about 1/4 of the batter to each ramekin (approx. 6 tbsp. of batter per ramekin). Bake cakes for 19-21 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

7. While the cakes are baking, add sauce ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Microwave sauce for 30-45 seconds or until heated through.

8. Once cakes are finishing baking, let cool in ramekin 2-3 minutes, then run a small spatula or knife around the edges of each cake to loosen from ramekin. Invert cakes onto individual serving plates.