Sticky Toffee Pudding

I have made this is a sticky toffee pudding recipe for over 15 years and is always delicious. My recipe was originally inspired by Jill Dupleix but I have made richer and more caramelly version using dark brown muscovado sugar. I even love eating the cake cold the following day.

Ingredients

• 80g butter (room temperature)
• 2 large egg
• 200g pitted chopped dates
• 200ml boiling water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 80g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 180g self raising flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger (or mixed spice)

Sauce

• 80g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 150ml cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs butter

Method

1. Heat oven to 180˚c fan forced.
2. Place dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heat proof bowl and add the boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes.
3. Cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until smooth.
4. Then beat the eggs one at a time.
5. Gently fold in the flour and spices. Add the date liquid and most of the dates, and mix well until smooth.
6. Pour the batter into a lightly butter 24cm x 10cm deep side loaf tin or a round or square 18cm diameter cake tin.
7. Press the remaining dates gently into the batter.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until firm.
9. Once cooked and it’s out of the oven, prick the cooked  pudding all over with a skewer and pour about a 3 tablespoons of the warm sauce over, so the entire sponge has a glaze of the thick sticky sauce. Leave the remaining sauce to add when serving.

Sauce:

1. Bring the sauce ingredients to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring until thickened.
2. Cut the pudding into wedges or slabs and serve with the sauce and cream.

*Tip — for sticky toffee cupcakes bake for 25 minutes or springy to touch.