Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my husband's birthday.  Every year I beg him to let me buy a DQ ice cream cake for the event, but it's his birthday so he usually requests I make something (he hasn't learned yet).  This year he got it in his head that he wanted a Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.  In the middle of July, he wants a winter holiday dessert.  But who am I to tell him no?

So I went about finding a recipe.  I thought I had found a great one - it even is supposedly the original! - then as I start to make it, my husband asks for Gordon Ramsay's recipe...minor set-back. The recipe doesn't look that different, so I figure "why not?".  Gordon's has cocoa in it, less dates and uses a bundt pan - no big deal.  (Today I did more research and found a video of Gordon making his cake - it was quite a bit different than the recipe I had located, including being STEAMED instead of BAKED)

We were going out to dinner and I wanted to serve the pudding hot so I figured I'd whip up the recipe and put it in the oven when we got home. Seemed like a good idea.  Everything went to plan, cake out of the oven (smelled and looked yummy!) and I had started the toffee sauce that you drizzle on top while the cake cooled.

Time came for the cake to come out of the pan.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

That is the top half of my cake, still in the pan.  Luckily everyone was in another room so I figured I could work some presentation magic.

That's right, I plated and served each piece individually, with homemade Bourbon Ice Cream and homemade Whipped Cream on top.  My husband was thrilled and although a bit drier than I would have wanted, it still tasted great!

I also frantically texted my sister.  Her guess on my downfall; letting the batter sit in the greased pan, most likely allowing it to absorb the grease. Also bundt pans suck.