I'm SO excited to share my Halloween feature in Redbook magazine. The mission was to create three over-the-top desserts inspired by your kids' trick-or-treat haul. The resulting recipes turned out incredibly decadent and downright delicious. I'll be enjoying these new favorites year round, so please don't wait until October 31st to make them! Here's the third of three:
The name doesn't lie! This recipe may be the richest, most sinful dessert I have ever created, and boy is it worth its weight in calories. My inspiration for this crazy confection was the (in)famous better-than-sex cake, a viral phenomenom consisting of devil food cake poked and infused with sweetened condensed milk, caramel sauce, and topped with Cool Whip and toffee bits. (I mean, damn, right?) I took it one step — okay maybe two or three — further by subbing out the boxed mix for an incredible-in-its-own-right sticky toffee pudding. Condensed milk, caramel, whipped heavy cream, and a handful of crushed Butterfinger are all just icing on the proverbial cake.
BETTER-THAN-SEX STICKY TOFFEE BUTTERFINGER PUDDING
Yields 12 to 16 servings
1 1/2 cups dried Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup caramel sauce, store bought or homemade
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/2 cup (4 to 6 fun-size bars or about 2 full-size bars) finely chopped Butterfinger crumbs
Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
Bring dates and 1¼ cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. (The mixture will foam up.) Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another medium bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, followed by vanilla. Using a spatula, fold in flour and date mixtures. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth. Bake until a toothpick pricked into the middle comes out slightly moist, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then flip onto a serving platter.
While cake is cooling, warm condensed milk and caramel sauce in a small saucepan or microwave. Using a small paring knife, make 1-inch slits all over the cake. Spread warmed milk mixture over cake, working in batches if necessary, until absorbed. Set aside to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whip cream until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over top of cake, garnish with Butterfinger crumbs, and serve.
RECIPE NOTE: Yes, this dessert is off-the-charts on the nutritional scale. (You know it's bad when the editors come back after running the numbers and ask what the maximum number of servings we could realistically get are) The good news? A little goes a loooong way, I swear. I couple of bites of this will keep you satisfied until you are ready for round two...
Recipe developed by Nealey Dozier for Redbook magazine
Photo credit: Andrew Purcell
The name doesn't lie! This recipe may be the richest, most sinful dessert I have ever created, and boy is it worth its weight in calories. My inspiration for this crazy confection was the (in)famous better-than-sex cake, a viral phenomenom consisting of devil food cake poked and infused with sweetened condensed milk, caramel sauce, and topped with Cool Whip and toffee bits. (I mean, damn, right?) I took it one step — okay maybe two or three — further by subbing out the boxed mix for an incredible-in-its-own-right sticky toffee pudding. Condensed milk, caramel, whipped heavy cream, and a handful of crushed Butterfinger are all just icing on the proverbial cake.
BETTER-THAN-SEX STICKY TOFFEE BUTTERFINGER PUDDING
Yields 12 to 16 servings
1 1/2 cups dried Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup caramel sauce, store bought or homemade
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/2 cup (4 to 6 fun-size bars or about 2 full-size bars) finely chopped Butterfinger crumbs
Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
Bring dates and 1¼ cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. (The mixture will foam up.) Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another medium bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, followed by vanilla. Using a spatula, fold in flour and date mixtures. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth. Bake until a toothpick pricked into the middle comes out slightly moist, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then flip onto a serving platter.
While cake is cooling, warm condensed milk and caramel sauce in a small saucepan or microwave. Using a small paring knife, make 1-inch slits all over the cake. Spread warmed milk mixture over cake, working in batches if necessary, until absorbed. Set aside to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whip cream until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over top of cake, garnish with Butterfinger crumbs, and serve.
RECIPE NOTE: Yes, this dessert is off-the-charts on the nutritional scale. (You know it's bad when the editors come back after running the numbers and ask what the maximum number of servings we could realistically get are) The good news? A little goes a loooong way, I swear. I couple of bites of this will keep you satisfied until you are ready for round two...
Recipe developed by Nealey Dozier for Redbook magazine
Photo credit: Andrew Purcell