Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ali Bilton • Jan 03, 2020

A classic that, when done right, is hard to beat. This is easily doubled, or even tripled if you have a lot of mouths to feed.

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the sauce:

115g unsalted butter


75g golden caster sugar


40g dark muscovado sugar


140ml double cream

For the pudding:

175g medjool dates, stoned and roughly chopped


1 tsp bicarbonate of soda


300ml boiling water


50g unsalted butter, softened


80g golden caster sugar


80g dark muscovado sugar


2 eggs, beaten

175g flour

1 tsp baking powder


Pinch of ground cloves


75g walnuts

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Butter a baking dish approximately 24cm x 24cm.

• Make the sauce by putting all the ingredients into a pan with a pinch of salt and heating slowly until the butter has melted, then turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Boil for about 4 minutes, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour half the sauce into the base of the dish and then put it in the freezer while you make the rest of the pudding.

• Put the dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof dish and cover with the boiling water. Leave to soften while you prepare the rest of the pudding.

• Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, and then beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Stir in the flour, baking powder, cloves and a pinch of salt until well combined, and then add the dates and their soaking water, and the walnuts, and mix well.

• Take the dish out of the freezer and pour the batter on top of the toffee sauce. Put into the oven for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch, and then take out of the oven. Allow to cool.

• Heat the oven to 140C, cut the pudding into portions, and then pour over the some more of the sauce. Put into the oven covered with foil for 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.