Sticky toffee pudding is such a classic pub pud – it’s a bit naughty, but very satisfying, and Tom’s treacley toffee sauce guarantees you’ll want an extra helping.
Ingredients
- 150ml/5fl oz dark
rum - 1
vanilla pod, split in half and the seeds scraped out - 250g/9oz chopped
dates - 125g/4½oz
butter, softened, plus extra for greasing - 125g/4½oz soft dark
brown sugar - 3 free-range
eggs - 150g/5½oz plain
flour, plus extra for dusting - 2 tsp
bicarbonate of soda - 2
bananas, peeled and thinly sliced -
demerara sugar, for dusting
For the toffee sauce
- 175g/6oz
demerara sugar - 1 tbsp
golden syrup - 1 tbsp
black treacle - 170g/5¾oz
butter - 500ml/18fl oz
double cream - pinch
salt
Method
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In a pan bring the rum, 250ml/9fl oz water and the vanilla seeds to the boil. Place the dates in a bowl, pour the liquid over the dates and leave to soak for an hour.
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and flour 6-8 individual moulds or loaf tins (depending on how many people you are serving).
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Cream the butter and the soft dark brown sugar with an electric hand-whisk in a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Mix and then fold in the date and rum mixture.
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Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tins and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until just firm to the touch. Once cooked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
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For the toffee sauce, put the sugar, syrup, treacle and butter into a pan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and cook, without stirring, until all the sugar crystals have dissolved and you have a deep-brown caramel. Meanwhile, gently warm the cream in a saucepan. Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully add one-third of the cream. Once the bubbling has subsided, whisk in the remaining cream. Add a pinch of salt and pass through a fine sieve. Set aside until needed.
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Fan the banana slices into circles on top of the cooked puddings. Dust with demerara sugar and caramelise with a cooks’ blowtorch (alternatively place the puddings under a very hot grill). Set aside for a few minutes to allow the sugar to cool and set, then serve with the toffee sauce.