Who doesn’t like sticky toffee pudding? I don’t often order dessert and when I do it is usually something light and fresh with citrus or berries, but put sticky toffee on a menu and I won’t be able to walk past it.
I have great news for you – it may seem impressive and effortful, but it is actually incredibly easy to make. You can also make it in advance and reheat it, so it is a good choice for dinner parties.
This recipe is an amalgamation of all the best bits of all the best ones I could find. I have Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen to thank for the addition of sea salt flakes to finish it off – a fabulous addition for fans of salted caramel.
While we're talking about condiments, can I just say that I think caramel or butterscotch ice cream with sticky toffee pudding is an abomination? It's got to be vanilla all the way! It's already a dessert verging on the sickly sweet, so something cool and fresh is what you need. Pouring or clotted cream also tick these boxes.
Makes approximately 9 portions.
Ingredients
170g dates, de-stoned and roughly chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250ml boiling water
60g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing, room temperature
160g muscovado sugar
2 eggs
175g flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50ml whole milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp date syrup or black treacle (optional)
For the sauce:
125g unsalted butter
100g muscovado sugar
100g golden caster sugar
175ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split (optional)
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C and grease a 20cm square baking tin with butter.
Put the chopped dates and bicarbonate soda in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Leave to one side to soften.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and gently fold in with a spatula. Add a pinch of salt, the dates and their soaking liquid, the milk and the vanilla essence and stir until combined.
Pour into the greased baking tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
To make the sauce, put all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it reduce and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla pod.
Pour a little sauce over the baked cake and put back in the oven for 2-3 minutes, allowing the sauce to soak in.
Serve with the rest of the warm toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream or double cream.
