Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
For the cake
- 200 g
(7oz) dates, stoned and finely chopped
- 250 ml
(9fl oz) tea, freshly brewed
- 125 g
(4oz) butter, softened, plus extra to grease
- 250 g
(9oz) self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
- 200 g
(7oz) light brown muscovado sugar
- 2 Tbsp.
golden syrup
- 3
medium eggs
- 1 tsp.
bicarbonate of soda
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Put dates into a bowl, pour over hot tea; soak for 10min. Grease a 25.5cm (10in) x 20.5cm (8in) roasting tin and dust with flour (tap out excess).
- Step 2
To make the sponge, put butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat together using an electric handwhisk until light and fluffy, about 5min. Whisk in the golden syrup, followed by eggs, soda, flour and date mixture (it may look a little curdled, but don't worry). Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, make the toffee sauce: put all ingredients into a pan. Heat gently until melted and smooth, then turn up heat and simmer gently for 5min. 4 Serve warm or at room temperature, with toffee sauce.
Like this? You'll love...
Sticky toffee cake
Bread and butter pudding
Get Ahead
Make to end of step 3 a day ahead. Leave sponge to cool completely in tin, then cover and store at room temperature. Transfer toffee sauce to a bowl and leave to cool, then cover and chill. To serve, reheat cake in preheated 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 oven for 15min, if you like, and gently warm sauce in a pan.
Per serving (for 8):
- Calories: 623
- Protein: 7g
- Total fat: 31g
- Saturates:19g
- Carbs: 78g
- Total sugars: 54g
- Fibre: 3g

An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).