Sticky Toffee Pudding
A modern classic with the soul of an old pudding. Dark, date-sweet sponge drenched in a burnt-butter toffee sauce and served with something cold — cream, ice cream, or a good pouring custard.
Ingredients
200 g Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
300 ml boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175 g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
85 g salted butter, softened
140 g dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp black treacle
200 g light muscovado sugar (sauce)
100 g salted butter (sauce)
300 ml double cream (sauce)
Method
- 1
Cover the dates with the boiling water, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Blitz to a rough purée.
- 2
Cream the softened butter and dark muscovado sugar until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the treacle.
- 3
Fold in the flour and mixed spice, then the date purée, until you have a loose, glossy batter. Pour into a buttered dish.
- 4
Bake at 180°C for 30–35 minutes until springy in the middle and pulling away from the sides.
- 5
For the sauce, gently melt the sauce butter and sugar in a pan, then bubble in the cream for a couple of minutes until glossy and thickened. Pour half over the hot pudding and serve the rest warm alongside.
Cook's notes
For a truly self-saucing pudding, poke holes across the sponge as it comes out of the oven and pour half the toffee sauce over — it disappears into every crumb.