Sticky Toffee Pudding is a firm favourite of most people I think. Certainly I love it and I had a, sort of, request to make it, in advance of my trip to Canada to visit family. So I checked a good few recipes online to see the variations that people use, to try to find one suited me.
In the end I have arrived at my preferred recipe, using components from a number of different ones, since all use different quantities of the same ingredients.
It is a very simple dessert to make, and doesn’t have too many ingredients. The baked pudding, when coated with some of the sticky sauce, allowing it to soak in, and then with more poured over it when served is simply delicious. Served with ice cream would be perfection.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 130g pitted dates, finely chopped
- 165g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 180 ml boiling water
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100g dark brown muscovado sugar(you can use light brown if you prefer)
- 2 medium eggs(In USA it would be large eggs)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 160g light brown muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp golden syrup(corn syrup is a good substitute)
- 80g unsalted butter
- 180 ml double cream
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Grease an 20cm/8 inch square cake tin.
- Place the chopped dates in a bowl and sprinkle over the baking soda.
- Pour the boiling water over the dates and stir to mix well. Set aside for 20 minutes.
- In a stand mixer(you can do this by hand if you wish) beat the butter and dark brown sugar until combined and creamy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat into the mixture until combined.
- Take a whisk and mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat until fully combined.
- Add the dates, and the water they are soaking in, to the cake batter and mix until combined.
- Pour, and scrape, the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
- The top should level quite naturally, but if not level it off with the back of a spoon.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- In a saucepan place the light brown sugar, golden syrup, 80g of butter and double cream.
- Heat gently until the butter is melted, stirring all the while.
- When the mixutre is fully combined allow to simmer for a couple of minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Remove the cake from the oven, after 25 minutes, testing with a skewer to ensure that it is cooked.
- Use the skewer to make holes all over the cake.
- Take about 125ml of toffee sauce and pour over the cake, allowing it to soak in.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
- Cut into about 8 pieces and serve on a plate, pouring over some of the remaining toffee sauce.