I’m not usually one to blow my own trumpet, but my first attempt at sticky toffee pudding produced a masterpiece! It was full of flavour, had the perfect texture and was hearty without being heavy.

My tried & tested measure of a restaurant is by the quality of their sticky toffee pudding. So far, the one from The Inn at Whitewell tops the league table. Highly commended are the offerings from The Shepherd’s Rest in Lumbutts and The Old Bridge Inn in Ripponden.

I reckon my effort could hold its own with any of them! Here’s the recipe…

Click here for some of my other pudding recipes!

Sticky toffee pudding

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Ingredients

  

• 300 g/10½oz dried dates seeds removed (about 35 dates)
• 300 ml/10½fl oz water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 60 g/2oz butter cubed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g/7oz self-raising flour
• 100 g/3½oz Demerara sugar
• 50 g/1¾oz Muscovado sugar
• butterscotch sauce
• 200 g/7oz soft brown sugar
• 300 ml/10½fl oz double cream
• 1 tbs + 1 tsp golden syrup
• 25 g/¾oz butter

Instructions

 

• Put the dates and water into a medium saucepan over high heat
  
• When the mixture starts to boil, add the bicarbonate of soda and the 60g butter ( be careful, the mix will fizz quite a bit!)
• Remove from the heat, stir and set aside for half an hour
• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
• Line the circumference & base of a 20cm diameter round spring-form cake tin with baking parchment/ greaseproof paper
  
• 
• Put the cooled date mixture into a food processor and pulse a few times to make a chunky paste
  
• In a small measuring jug, lightly beat the eggs before adding the vanilla extract
  
• Pour into the date mixture and pulse a few more times until just combined
• In a medium mixing bowl, sift in the flour
• Add 100g Demerara sugar and 50g Muscovado sugar and combine with the flour
• Pour the date & egg mixture into the flour & sugar mixture, gently folding the ingredients together until just combined
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes away clean
• Remove from the oven and leave the pudding in the tin on a wire rack and allow it to cool for 10 minutes
• With a wooden or metal skewer, make several deep holes in the pudding
• Set aside while you make the butterscotch sauce
• Put all the butterscotch sauce ingredients into a small saucepan
  
• Stir over a medium heat using a wooden spoon until the mixture is well combined and begins to bubble
• Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
  
• Carefully pour 125ml of the hot butterscotch sauce evenly over the top of the pudding
• Allow the pudding to stand for at least 5 minutes before removing from the cake tin

Best served warm with extra butterscotch sauce poured over the top (with the addition of vanilla ice cream and/or cream or custard). Both the cake and sauce reheat very well in the microwave.