Sticky Toffee Pudding

From More Rhodes Around Britain

  This is a good old English pudding which is made all over the country. I think this recipe originated with Francis Coulson of Sharrow Bay in Ullswater, and it works better than any of the other recipes I have tried. The best dates to use are Medjool, which come from India. They are plump and meaty with almost a molasses taste.

Serves 4
3/4 cup dates, stoned and chopped
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Sauce
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup demerara or brown sugar
2 teaspoons molasses or dark corn syrup.

  Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 11x7 inch baking dish.

  Boil the dates in the water for about 5 minutes until soft, then add the baking soda. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the dates, flour and vanilla, then pour into the greased baking pan and cook in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until just firm to the touch.

  To make the sauce, simply place all the ingredients in a pan over a low heat and stir together until blended, then bring to the boil. Some of this can be poured over the pudding and finished under the broiler, or it can be kept totally separate and ladled over the pudding when served.

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