Baking with Burns: How to make sticky toffee pudding

For her latest recipe, Lisa has a traditional dessert for you to have a go at...

I love a good old fashioned pudding!

Treacle sponge, steamed jam sponge, jam roly poly...the list goes on.

There is nothing quite like a bit of comforting sweet pud to cheer you up! And none come more comforting than delicious sticky toffee pudding.

This wonderfully moist and sweet pudding is one of the nation’s favourite desserts. 

It was developed in one of my favourite places, the Lake District, in the 1970s, and ever since then has become a firm favourite on many a restaurant menu.

It contains soft vitamin-boosting dates which are one of the oldest cultivated fruits.

The date-laden sponge, combined with the sweet sauce, makes sticky toffee pudding a truly comforting dessert and is great served with cream, ice cream or, my favourite, custard.

Ingredients

For the sponge

100g/3.5oz dates (chopped)

80ml/3 fl oz hot water

One tsp bicarbonate of soda

85g/3oz unsalted butter

140g/5oz dark muscovado sugar

Two eggs

180g/6.5oz plain white flour

For the toffee sauce

50ml/2 fl oz water

300g/10.5oz golden caster sugar

200ml/7 fl oz double cream

100g/3.5oz golden syrup

100g/3.5oz unsalted butter (cold, cubed)

Method

1. Reheat the oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4. Line a medium-sized baking tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Put the chopped dates in a bowl with the hot water and bicarbonate of soda and leave to soak.

3. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale. 

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add the date mixture and mix well, then fold in the flour.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.

6. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

7. Add the water and sugar to a heavy-based pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring when the sugar comes to a boil to stop it crystallising.

8. Continue to boil the sugar until it become dark brown in colour. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool.

9. Carefully pour in the cream, stirring continuously, then whisk in the golden syrup.

10. Let the toffee cool for 10 minutes then gradually add the cubed butter and stir in.

11. Cut the pudding into squares and pour over the toffee sauce. Serve with custard or cream.