Sticky Toffee Pudding

As promised another instalment from Jo Pratt’s In the Mood for Food. I’m having fun rediscovering recipes I had book-marked. This Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe is one that I have had my eye on and then I remembered I had bought some Medjool dates, so no time like the present. This much loved British pudding consists of a moist sponge, made of chopped dates and covered in a toffee sauce. The original recipe in the book also includes stem ginger but I wanted to stick with the traditional and omitted the stem ginger. I will definitely be making this luscious sticky pudding again!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Serves 8

Ingredients
For the pudding
250g date, stone and chopped (I used medjool dates for best results)
250ml black tea (not too strong)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
85g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour, sieved
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice

For the sauce
75g light muscovado sugar
100g unsalted butter
125ml double cream

Preheat the oven to 180oC/fan 160oC/gas 4.
Place the dates and tea in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes for the dates to soften, then stir in the bicarbonate.

Cream together the butter and caster sugar before thoroughly mixing in the eggs, flour, mixed spice and date mixture.

Pour into a roughly 22cm square (or similar) buttered baking dish or tin. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is just firm to touch.

While the pudding is cooking, make the sauce by putting the sugar, butter and cream into a saucepan. Place over a low heat and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is a light toffee colour.

Serve the pudding with the warm sauce and, if desired, a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or clotted cream.

Here are some pics that I took today of my gorgeous Madison.

"Talk to the paw cos this cat's sleeping!"

"Did I hear you say kitty treats"