Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
- 480 ml (2 cups) heavy cream
- 99 g (½ cup) dark brown sugar
- 2½ tbsp golden syrup or molasses
- Pinch of salt
- 170 g pitted dates, chopped
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 150 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 57 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 149 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For all its old-fashioned air, sticky toffee pudding only became famous in the 1970s, and it has since become the dessert every British pub is judged by. The sponge gets its dark, sticky crumb from chopped dates simmered in water and dissolved with a spoon of baking soda, beaten into a butter-and-sugar batter with eggs and vanilla. The trick in this version is to pour half the toffee sauce — cream, dark brown sugar and golden syrup boiled to a coating consistency — into the dish first and freeze it, so the sponge bakes on a layer of sauce. The rest is warmed and poured over each serving.
Method
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and butter a 22 cm (8½ inch) soufflé dish.
Bring the cream, brown sugar, golden syrup and salt to the boil, stirring, and simmer for 5 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour half the sauce into the dish and put the dish in the freezer; keep the rest warm.
Heat the dates and water in a saucepan; once boiling, take off the heat, stir in the baking soda and keep slightly warm.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs gradually and the vanilla.
Stir in half the flour, then the date mixture, then the remaining flour, mixing only until combined.
Take the dish from the freezer and scrape the batter over the frozen sauce.
Bake for about 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool briefly and serve warm with the remaining toffee sauce and cream or ice cream.
