Individual Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes For Two Or Four Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan with a nonstick cooking spray.
• Put the dates in a medium bowl, pour the boiling water over them and let sit 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, butter and eggs. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently mix. Add the dates with their liquid and mix. Use a light hand; don't overbeat or the cake will be tough.
• Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, making sure to check after 45 minutes to make sure the cake does not get too dry. Let cool for 15 minutes, then unmold the cake and cool on a rack until slightly warm.
• For the pudding: In a medium pot, combine the brown sugar, butter, cream, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Place the cake on a platter, pour the pudding over and garnish with the crushed toffee bar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter ten 4-ounce ramekins; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine dates, and 1 cup warm water. Simmer until most of the water is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small food processor, and process until smooth; keep warm.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the eggs, and beat to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the flour mixture, and beat until fully combined.
• With machine running, add date purée, a little at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Divide evenly between prepared ramekins, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Cool to room temperature, slice off top, and discard. Cut in half horizontally, and layer with sauce. Serve immediately with ice cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
• In a small bowl combine the dates and baking soda. Pour enough boiling water over the dates to just cover them.
• Cream 1/3 cup of butter with the white sugar until light. Beat in the eggs and mix well to combine.
• Add the flour and date mixture (including water) to the egg mixture and fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly and prepare the sauce.
• To Make Caramel Sauce: In a small saucepan combine the brown sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and evaporated milk. Cook over medium heat and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the sauce over individual servings of warm cake.

Steps:

• For the pudding cakes:
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour four 4-ounce ramekins and line bottom of each with round of parchment paper cut to fit.
• Set prepared ramekins in deep-side baking or roasting pan lined with clean dish towel.
• Bring kettle or large saucepan of water to boil over high heat.
• Combine half of dates with water and baking soda in glass measuring cup (dates should be submerged beneath water) and soak for 5 minutes.
• Drain dates, reserving liquid, and transfer to medium bowl.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in another medium bowl.
• Process remaining dates and brown sugar in food processor until just blended, about five 1-second pulses.
• Add reserved soaking liquid, eggs, and vanilla and process until smooth, about 5 seconds.
• With food processor running, pour melted butter through feed tube in steady stream.
• Transfer this mixture to bowl with softened dates.
• Gently stir dry mixture into wet mixture until just combined and date pieces are evenly dispersed.
• Distribute batter evenly among prepared ramekins.
• Fill roasting pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of ramekins, making sure not to splash water into ramekins.
• Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil, crimping edges to seal.
• Bake pudding cakes until puffed and small holes appear on surface, about 40 minutes.

Steps:

• For the toffee sauce; whisk sugar and butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted.
• (mixture will be grainy).
• Add cream and boil until mixture coats spoon thickly, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes.
• Cool slightly.
• Whisk in rum.
• (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving) For cakes; combine dates and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan; boil until dates are soft, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in vanilla and baking soda.
• Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Butter and flour 10 muffin cups from 1 standard 12 cup muffin pan.
• Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
• using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl to blend.
• Beat in egg.
• Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with date mixture in 2 additions, beating to blend after each addition.
• Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
• Bake cakes until brown and tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Cool cakes in pan on rack 10 minutes.
• Turn out onto a baking sheet.
• Spoon 2 TBS of warm toffee sauce over each warm cake.
• Let cool completely.
• (Can be made 1 day ahead. cover with foil and refrigerate).
• Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Reheat cakes on sheet until warm, about 10 minutes.
• Put on serving plates.
• Drizzle with remaining warm toffee sauce.
• Serve with whipped cream.