Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Cake

Sticky toffee cake is one of those desserts that just makes everything better. And this gluten free version tastes every bit as good as the original.

I worked on this recipe to make sure the texture comes out perfectly soft and moist, just like a traditional sticky toffee pudding. The secret is the dates – they add so much moisture and a nice natural sweetness to the cake.

Then there’s the toffee sauce. It’s rich, buttery, and honestly the best part of the whole thing. You’ll want to make extra.

The great thing about this gluten free sticky toffee cake is that it’s really straightforward. No complicated steps, no hard to find ingredients.

If you’ve been looking for a gluten free dessert that actually feels like a proper treat, this is the one. Let’s get into it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s Naturally Sweetened by Dates – The base of this cake is made with real pitted dates, which give it a deep, caramel-like sweetness that you just can’t get from sugar alone. It makes every bite taste rich and complex without being overly sweet.

You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten Free – This sticky toffee cake is so moist and tender that nobody will ever guess it’s made with gluten free flour. It tastes just like the classic British dessert, so even your pickiest friends will love it.

That Toffee Sauce Is Unreal – The homemade toffee sauce made with brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream is absolutely to die for. It soaks right into the cake and creates this gooey, sticky, buttery layer that makes the whole thing irresistible.

Only a Few Simple Ingredients – You don’t need a long shopping list to make this cake. With just everyday pantry staples like eggs, butter, brown sugar, and dates, it’s simple to put together without hunting down hard-to-find ingredients.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups Pitted Dates Chopped
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter Softened
• 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 1/4 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Toffee Sauce

• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

How to Make

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.

Step 2

Place the chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over them, stir in the baking soda, and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to soften.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Fold in the gluten free flour.

Step 4

Mash the date mixture slightly with a fork, then fold it (along with its liquid) into the cake batter. Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave the cake in the dish.

Step 5

While the cake bakes, make the sauce. Combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 3 minutes until thickened.

Step 6

Poke holes all over the warm cake and pour half the toffee sauce over the top. Serve warm with the remaining sauce drizzled on individual slices.

Helpful Tips

Soak the Dates the Full 15 Minutes

Don’t rush the date soaking step. The boiling water and baking soda work together to break down the dates so they become soft and almost paste-like, which is what gives this cake its sticky, moist texture.

If you cut the soaking time short, the dates won’t soften enough and you’ll end up with hard chunks in your cake instead of that smooth, toffee-like flavor running through every bite.

Set a timer so you don’t forget about them or leave them too long either. Fifteen minutes is the sweet spot.

Use Room Temperature Eggs and Butter

Take the eggs and the 1/4 cup of butter out of the fridge about 30-45 minutes before you start baking. Room temperature ingredients blend together much more smoothly when you cream the butter and sugar and then beat in the eggs.

If the butter is too cold, it won’t cream properly with the brown sugar and you’ll get a lumpy batter. If the eggs are cold, they can cause the creamed butter to seize up and look curdled.

If you forgot to take them out early, you can warm eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes and microwave the butter in 5-second bursts until it’s soft but not melted.

Don’t Skip Mashing the Dates

After the dates have soaked, take a fork and mash them up a bit before folding them into the batter. You don’t need to turn them into a completely smooth paste, but you want to break them down so they blend into the cake more evenly.

Leaving big pieces of date means some bites of cake will have a lot of date flavor and others will have none. A rough mash gives you that even, caramel-like sweetness throughout the whole cake.

Make sure you pour in all the soaking liquid too. That dark liquid is packed with flavor and moisture that the cake needs.

You Might Also Like

• Gluten Free Caramel Apple Skillet Cookie
• Gluten Free Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars
• Gluten Free Maple Pecan Blondies
• Gluten Free Molten Lava Cakes
• Gluten Free Salted Caramel Brownies

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of dates work best for this sticky toffee cake?

Medjool dates are the best choice because they are naturally soft, sweet, and blend into the batter really easily. They give the cake that rich, caramel-like flavor that makes sticky toffee cake so good.

Deglet Noor dates also work, but they tend to be a bit drier and firmer. If that is all you have, just make sure you let them soak in the boiling water for a full 15 minutes so they soften up completely before mixing them in.