Sticky Toffee Pudding

The ultimate British comfort pudding, a soft date sponge drenched in a dark, buttery toffee sauce.

Ingredients

• 200g pitted dates, chopped
• 250ml boiling water
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 75g soft unsalted butter
• 150g soft dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the sauce: 100g unsalted butter

• 150g soft dark brown sugar
• 300ml double cream
• 1 tablespoon black treacle

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4 and butter an ovenproof dish.
2. Put the dates in a bowl, pour over the boiling water, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and leave for 10 minutes to soften.
3. Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then fold in the flour.
4. Stir in the soaked dates and their liquid to make a loose batter, then pour into the dish.
5. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until risen and just firm.
6. For the sauce, gently melt the butter, sugar, cream and treacle together and simmer for a few minutes until glossy.
7. Pour some sauce over the warm pudding and serve the rest alongside, with cream or ice cream.

Notes

In the style of Nigella Lawson’s Sticky Toffee Pudding (nigella.com).