Sticky Date Pudding
The Jill Dupleix Recipe of the week July 11 1995 at 5.40pm on the Doug Aiton Program
The famous, the one and only, the incredible sticky toffee pudding is a rich moist cake studded with sticky dates served hot in a glorious butterscotch sauce.
Ingredients
1 cup of dates (180g) pitted and chopped.
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.
1 cup boiling water.
2 tablespoons butter.
1 cup (150g) soft brown sugar.
2 eggs.
1 1/2 cups (180g) self-raising flour, sifted.
Toffee Sauce
1 cup (150g) soft brown sugar.
3/4 cup light whipping cream.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence.
2 tablespoons butter.
Method
Mix dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water on top and leave to stand. Cream butter and sugar until pale, then add eggs one ata time, heating well after each addition.
Gently fold in sifted flour, stir in the date mixture, and pour into a lightly buttered 18cm or 7" square or round cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven (180 C)for 30-40 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes clean.
Combine sugar, cream, vanilla essence and butter in a saucepan, bring to the boil, stirring, and simmer for five minutes. Set aside until ready to serve, then quickly reheat when needed.
Cut pudding into squares and place each square in the centre of a warm dinner plate. Pour hot toffee sauce over each square and serve with fresh cream.
Serves Six.
Note: Traditionally, the sauce was poured over the cake and returned to the oven for the last five minutes of baking to get really sticky. I prefer this method, where sticky sauce meets steamy pudding on the plate.