Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

• 280g / 9oz pitted dates , roughly chopped (9 seems to be a strange measurement for date packaging. I’ve topped the dates up with an ounce or so sultanas in the recipe, makes no difference to the fruit used, it’s getting pulled anyway.)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup / 250 ml boiling water
• 40 g / 1/4 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
• 80 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups / 185 g plain flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:

• 200 g/ 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 375 ml / 1 1/2 cups double cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 70 g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160c
• Grease 7 pudding moulds with butter or grease and line a 20 cm / 8″ square cake pan

MASHED DATES:

• Place dates in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Pour over boiling water. Stand 10 minutes, then mash well with a potato masher

BATTER:

• Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined and smooth.
• Add eggs, beat until incorporated.
• Add flour then sprinkle baking powder across the surface. Mix until flour is incorporated.
• Add dates, mix quickly until dates are well incorporated into the batter.
  Follow directions to make one pudding or individual ones.

ONE PUDDING:

• Pour into cake pan, smooth surface. Bake 35 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• While still hot, poke holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch Sauce, leave to soak for 10 minutes.
• Cut, serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.

BAKING INDIVIDUAL PUDDINGS:

• Pour batter into pudding moulds, only fill 2/3 of the way up.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• While still hot, poke holes on the surface of the pudding. Spoon over 1 tbsp of Butterscotch Sauce per Pudding. Leave to soak 10 minutes.
• Turn pudding moulds upside down on serving plate. Serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:

• Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir, then bring to simmer.
• Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once, then remove from heat. Serve warm.