Delightful Desserts

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Serves 4PREP 20 minCOOK 35 min

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What comes to mind when you hear the word "pudding"? Personally, I was a bit sceptical at first and suspected there might be a catch. It turns out that the British use the term "pudding" to mean dessert, not just a specific type of dessert. It's not the shapeless, wobbly thing I had in mind! You may find that at the end of a meal the waiter will ask, "Can I tempt you to a pudding?" which basically means, "Would you like a dessert?" It's worth noting that not all puddings are sweet and made with flour. But to keep things simple, let's list some options that fall under the "pudding" category in the UK: — Rice pudding — Cheesecake — Chocolate cake or chocolate fondant — Sponge cake with jam filling, along with a variety of sponge cakes — Tiramisu (why not borrow it?) — Fruit pies and crumbles — Trifle — And my personal favourite – sticky toffee pudding, a recipe I'm happy to share Over time, and after hearing the waiter's question so often, the looser definition of "pudding" became a familiar term in our family and we grew to like it. The word itself is charming and endearing. Sometimes it's easier to turn down a dessert, but it's hard to resist a pudding, especially when you can taste each other's or share a portion between two. The lingering evening is the true essence of pudding. When you've had a great time together over food and chats and find every excuse to prolong the moment before parting ways. This is frequently the case for us when we go out as a couple, and less so when our lively kids are around.

Ingredients

Serves 4:
75 g dates
75 g softened butter
50 g brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
140 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
For the sauce:
150 ml double cream
75 g brown sugar
25 g butter

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Method

1Remove the pits from the dates and chop them. In a small saucepan, bring 75 ml of water to the boil, add the dates and simmer for 3–4 minutes until they become a puree. Gently mix until smooth.
2Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease 4 x 150 ml pudding moulds with butter.
3Mix the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Stir in the date puree and distribute between the moulds.
4Place the moulds into a larger dish filled halfway with boiling water, cover with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes. Check the puddings to make sure they are cooked.
5Meanwhile, make the sauce by adding half of the cream, all of the sugar and all of the butter to a thick-based saucepan. Dissolve the sugar over a low heat, then increase the temperature and simmer. Stir until the sauce becomes smooth and thick, about 3–4 minutes. Then stir in the remaining cream.
6Serve the puddings topped with the warm sauce and enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What sticky toffee pudding is

Sticky toffee pudding is a warm British sponge made with chopped dates soaked in boiling water and bicarbonate of soda, which melt into the batter and give it its dark, malty, almost caramel character — there is no toffee in the sponge itself.

The toffee comes as a sauce: butter, dark brown sugar and cream boiled together for a few minutes, poured over the hot sponge so it soaks in, with more at the table. Serve it with pouring custard, vanilla ice cream or clotted cream.

It is a modern classic rather than an ancient one, popularised in the Lake District in the 1970s, and it is now on nearly every British pub menu in winter. It reheats perfectly, so it is an ideal make-ahead dessert.