Sticky Toffee Pudding
Makes 6 individual puddings
Recipe by Jason Wardill, Group Executive Chef, Provenance Inns & Hotels
Ingredients
225g whole dates
175ml boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g self-raising flour, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
85g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
130g demerara sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
100ml milk
Toffee Sauce
180g light Muscavado sugar
50g butter, cut into pieces
225ml double cream
1 tbsp black treacle
Method
Stone and chop the dates into small pieces. Put them in a bowl, then pour over 175ml boiling water.
Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash with a fork. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Butter and flour six mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. Mix self-raising flour and bicarbonate of soda together. Add your eggs to a separate bowl and beat.
Beat softened butter and demerara sugar together in a large bowl for a few minutes until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions.
Beat in the black treacle, then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour and bicarbonate of soda mixture, followed by half of the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour is mixed and all the milk is used. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mixture may appear slightly curdled at this point and will resemble a soft, thick batter. Spoon the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, put the light muscovado sugar and butter pieces for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the double cream. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly, and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 minutes until it reaches a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the remaining double cream.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few minutes, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they will be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes.
Set the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the remaining sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce does not smudge (no need to chill). When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160 °C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream, custard or ice cream.
