Cookbook:Sticky Toffee Pudding (with dates)

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

Sticky Toffee Pudding (with dates)
Category	Dessert recipes
Servings	12
Time	1 hour 10 minutes
Difficulty

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size:	1/12 of recipe (160 g)
Servings Per Recipe:	12
Amount per serving
Calories	715
Calories from fat	461
Total Fat	51.2 g
Saturated Fat	34.6 g
Cholesterol	33 mg
Sodium	245 mg
Total Carbohydrates	58.2 g
Dietary Fiber	3.2 g
Sugars	44.5 g
Protein	5.4 g
Vitamin A	4%
Vitamin C	4%
Calcium	10%
Iron	6%

Sticky Toffee Pudding (STP) is a rich, dense, gooey dessert originating from the United Kingdom that can now be found across the world. Often found on a pub's menu, or in British or Commonwealth schools meals, this is a classic dessert that became popular in the 1970s.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1¾ cups (250 g/8.8 oz) self-raising flour
• ⅞ stick (100 g/3.5 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g/8.8 oz) caster sugar
• 2 large or 3 medium eggs
• 2½ cups (250 g/8.8 oz) dates (without stones), finely chopped
• 1¼ cups (300 ml/10 US fl oz) water
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the toffee sauce

• 1⅔ cups (400 ml/14 US fl oz) whipping cream
• ⅔ cup (120 g/4.2 oz) dark, soft brown sugar (e.g. muscovado)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 3 sticks (375 g/13.2 oz) unsalted butter

Method

• Preheat oven to 180ºC/360ºF.
• Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla. You can do this by beating it in a bowl with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes, taking care to break up the crystals and smooth the mixture out as much as possible. Or do it using an electric blender if you prefer.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in after you've added each egg.
• Fold in the flour.
• Now, bring the water to the boil and add the dates. Add the bicarb and immediately take the pan off the heat. Let it cool slightly, then add to the mixture.

Tip: Finely chopping the dates helps make a really gooey cake - but some people prefer to chop the dates roughly, so that they're more obvious in the finished pudding.

• Pour the mixture into a greased cake-tin (make sure you use one with enough room for the cake to rise!).
• Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little while you make the sauce.
• To make the sauce:
  • Mix the four ingredients in a saucepan.
  • Heat gently, stirring often to make sure that the mixture doesn't separate.
  • Once the mixture looks like a smooth sauce and is nice and warm, it's ready. Don't allow it to bubble.
• Divide the cake into portions and poke holes all over the top with a skewer or chopstick.
• Pour the sauce over the top of the cake, making sure it gets in the holes.

Serve with cream, custard, or ice-cream.