Sticky toffee pudding
Date Sponge with Hot Toffee Sauce
A moist sponge made with boiled dates, baked, covered with half a hot toffee sauce, grilled until bubbling and served with the rest.
The author boils dates in water for 2 minutes, stirs in bicarbonate of soda, folds them into a creamed batter, bakes 30 minutes at 180°C, covers the pudding with half the sauce and grills for 2 to 3 minutes.
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 50 g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
- 175 g stoned dates, chopped
- 300 ml cold water
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 175 g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175 g self-raising flour, sifted
For the sauce
- 200 g light soft brown sugar
- 100 ml double cream
- 150 g butter
To serve
- Vanilla ice cream
Method
- Heat the oven Heat the oven to 180°C (gas 4) and grease an 18 cm square cake tin.
- Soften the dates Boil the dates in the water for 2 minutes, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
- Make the batter Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, add the vanilla, fold in the flour, then fold in the dates with their liquid.
- Bake Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes until firm and risen.
- Make the sauce Put all the sauce ingredients in a pan, bring to the boil, stirring often, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Grill and serve Pour half the sauce over the pudding and grill for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbling. Cut into 6 and serve with the rest of the sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Food safety
Hot toffee sauce is much hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin: keep children away and pour carefully. Take care at the grill.
Pour the sauce over while the pudding is hot.