Name: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 9
Ingredients: 200 g of Dates; 250 ml of Water; 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda; 75 g of Butter; 150 g of Muscovado Sugar; 1 tablespoon of Molasses; 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract; 2 Eggs; 175 g of Self-Rising Flour; 100 g of Butter; 150 g of Muscovado Sugar; 1 tablespoon of Molasses; 250 ml of Heavy Cream; Vanilla Ice Cream

Sticky toffee pudding is a light, moist sponge made with chopped dates softened in boiling water with bicarbonate of soda, baked in a square tin and served warm in squares under a glossy toffee sauce of butter, dark muscovado sugar and cream.

Where it was born is still argued over, but it became famous in the 1970s at the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel on Lake Ullswater, in the Lake District, where Francis Coulson and Robert Lee put it on the menu; an inn in Yorkshire and a hotel in Aberdeenshire claim earlier versions. From there it spread to pubs and restaurants all over Britain and became one of the best-loved English puddings.

At Christmas many families serve it next to the Christmas pudding, or in its place, with vanilla ice cream, pouring cream or custard.

Ingredients for 9 people

For the sponge:

200 g of Dates pitted, chopped

250 ml of Water boiling

1 teaspoon of Baking Soda bicarbonate of soda

75 g of Butter softened, plus extra for the tin

150 g of Muscovado Sugar dark

1 tablespoon of Molasses black treacle

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs large, at room temperature

175 g of Self-Rising Flour

For the toffee sauce:

100 g of Butter

150 g of Muscovado Sugar dark

1 tablespoon of Molasses black treacle

250 ml of Heavy Cream double

To serve:

Vanilla Ice Cream or pouring cream or custard

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Butter a 20 to 23 cm (8 to 9 inch) square tin and line the base with baking parchment.

Put the chopped dates in a bowl, pour over the boiling water and stir in the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), which will fizz. Leave for 10 minutes, until the dates are soft, then crush them roughly with a fork.

In a large bowl, beat the soft butter with the dark muscovado sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and creamy, then beat in the black treacle (molasses) and the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, and fold in the self-raising flour just until it disappears.

Stir in the dates with all their liquid to make a loose, runny batter. Pour it into the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until risen and springy to the touch and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean.

While the sponge bakes, make the sauce. Put the butter, dark muscovado sugar and black treacle in a heavy pan over a low heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Pour in the double cream, turn up the heat and let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until smooth, glossy and slightly thickened.

As soon as the sponge comes out of the oven, prick it all over with a skewer and pour about a third of the hot sauce over it, spreading it to the edges. Leave it to soak for 20 minutes, and keep the rest of the sauce warm.

Cut the pudding into 9 squares and serve it warm, with the remaining sauce poured over and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with pouring cream or custard. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

For individual puddings, bake the batter in 8 greased 175 ml (3/4 cup) pudding molds or a muffin tin for 20 to 25 minutes and turn them out upside down. Some cooks add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans, or a pinch of ground ginger or mixed spice, to the sponge. Golden syrup instead of black treacle gives a lighter, milder flavor, and at Christmas a spoonful of brandy or rum can go into the sauce.

Tips

Soft, sticky dates such as Medjool give the moistest sponge; if yours are dry, leave them in the hot water a little longer. The batter is much runnier than a normal cake batter once the dates go in: that is what keeps the crumb moist. Mix only until the flour disappears, and test the center with a skewer before taking it out. Be careful with the sauce, which is very hot while it bubbles.

Storage

Keep sponge and sauce separately, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm the squares in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, or covered with foil in the oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 10 to 15 minutes, and the sauce gently in a pan. The sponge freezes well, wrapped, for up to 3 months: thaw it in the fridge before warming.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding