Dr Mobeus
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Sticky toffee pudding is the pudding that makes people go quiet. The dates melt into the sponge while it bakes so every mouthful tastes of caramel, and the butterscotch sauce soaks into every corner.
It sounds like restaurant food but dates are surprisingly cheap. A 200g bag sets you back about 80p and it makes eight generous portions of pudding, working out at about 31p each.
This is the dessert to make when you have people round. Make the sponge a few hours ahead, warm it through, and pour the sauce over at the last minute. Nobody will believe it cost less than a fiver.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C fan. Grease a square baking tin and line with baking paper.
- Chop the dates, put them in a bowl with the boiling water and bicarbonate of soda, and set aside for 10 minutes. They will fizz up and soften.
- Beat the 75g butter and 150g sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
- Fold in the flour, then stir in the date mixture including all the liquid. It will look worryingly wet. That is right.
- Pour into the tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: melt the 50g butter, 100g sugar and milk together in a small pan, then bubble for 3 to 4 minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Poke holes all over the warm pudding and pour over half the sauce. Serve in squares with the rest of the sauce and custard or ice cream.
Tips and Variations
The bicarbonate of soda reacting with the dates is what makes the sponge light, so do not skip the soaking step. Any leftover sauce keeps in the fridge for a week and is excellent over ice cream. Chopped pecans or walnuts make a nice crunchy addition to the top.
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