Sticky Toffee Mini Bundt Recipe

Prepare oven and pan

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease six 3.5–4 inch mini bundt pans (or a 6-cup mini bundt pan) with vegetable oil or melted butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess.

Soak dates

Place chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Stir the baking soda into the boiling water, then pour it over the dates. Let sit 10 minutes to soften; mash lightly with a fork to break up large pieces. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cream butter and sugar

In a medium bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and light brown sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes (use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium).

Add egg and vanilla

Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Combine dry ingredients

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Finish batter

Fold one-third of the dry mixture into the butter mixture, then fold in half the date mixture (including any liquid). Continue alternating, ending with dry ingredients. Stir in the milk to loosen if batter seems thick. The batter will be fairly thick with visible softened dates.

Fill pans and bake

Spoon batter into prepared mini bundt pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 16–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake center (avoiding large date pieces) comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through baking if your oven runs hot.

Cool in pan briefly

Let cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 8–10 minutes. Run a butter knife around edges to loosen, then invert to release onto the rack to cool while you make the caramel sauce.

Make sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to bubble gently, about 2–3 minutes.

Add cream

Carefully whisk in the heavy cream (mixture will bubble up). Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 3–5 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy.

Finish sauce

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and the pinch of salt. Taste and adjust salt for balance. If the sauce seems too thick after cooling, warm gently and whisk in 1–2 teaspoons of additional cream to reach pouring consistency.

Glaze cakes

Place mini bundts on a serving plate or wire rack set over a sheet pan. Spoon warm caramel sauce over each bundt, letting some pool on top and run down the sides. Reserve extra sauce for passing at the table.

Optional garnish and serving

If desired, top each cake with a small sprinkle of flaky sea salt, a few chopped toasted pecans, or a dollop of whipped cream. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cakes are best eaten the day made, but keep leftover sauce refrigerated (reheat gently before serving).