Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
I don’t often do “plated” desserts, so this will be fun. It’s kind of fun to play with sauces and squeeze bottles every so often, no? This recipe is adapted from Delia Smith’s Christmas, but why not serve it in July? I can’t think of a reason!
2 cups chopped pitted dates
3/4 boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter
4.5 ounces (2/3 cup) sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
6.25 ounces (1 1/4 cups) flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 recipe the toffee sauce
1/2 recipe créme Anglaise or melted vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened cream
walnuts for garnish
Procedure
Place the dates in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Allow the mixture to cool, then add the vanilla, espresso powder and soda — stir. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter eight 6-ounces ramekins.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle beat the butter and sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time until they’re fully incorporated, scraping down the sides after each addition occasionally.
Combine the sifted flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk them together. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the cooled dates. Divide the batter among the ramekins, place them on a baking sheet and bake about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, let them cool five minutes then invert the puddings onto a parchment-covered rack to cool completely. The puddings can hold at this point for several hours or be refrigerated for several days.
To serve, preheat the broiler. Pour about a tablespoon of sauce onto the puddings. Place the puddings under the broiler until the tops are crunchy and the sauce is bubbling. Transfer the puddings to individual serving plates and top with remaining toffee sauce and nuts. Serve with custard sauce dribbled around the edges of the plate.
We call this sticky date pudding, and it’s been very popular café/ restaurant food for decades.
I don’t much like the texture of dates, so I make “sticky sticky raisin pudding” whenever I can get hold of sticky raisins. Which is not very often. I have just googled sticky raisins to see what else they might be called, looks like you would call them a seeded muscat raisin. The stickiness results from seed removal, they come as one stuck together mass.
Oh yes, it’s an oldie but a goodie. But sticky raisins you say…I’ll look around!
– Joe
Hi Joe,
Great idea to do Sticky Toffee Puddings. It is normally winter comfort food here in the UK but who’s to say comfort is only needed in winter. I read that the originator of the recipe pours the toffee sauce over the baked puddings in a dish and leaves them for up to two days. The puddings are then warmed up in the oven and served with the remaining sauce. I have tried this and it is amazing! May I respectfully suggest to your readers to do the same. In UK summer temperatures no refrigeration is needed, but if you lived in a more tropical climate you might need to do this in the fridge.
Very interesting, Bina! I didn’t see that in the version I found but it sounds good if you plan on holding them for very long…a good way to keep them moist I would think. Thanks for the comment!
– Joe
This dessert is still quite common in Australia but there it is a steamed pudding, if I’m not mistaken. Theirs is served warm and is a wonderful cold-weather dessert, and since it is winter there right now, I guess seasonally appropriate! 😉
They are often steamed, Laura. I picked this particular recipe because it’s a little simpler and the results are every bit as moist and delicious as the steamed version…I also like the crisping under the broiler…give a nice texture contrast!
Cheers,
– Joe
Prunes, Joe? Where did they come from? (Line 11 of the instructions).
Bronwyn might find this recipe more appealing, I’m guessing that the recipe you are making has lumps of dates through it, not terribly appealing. I’ve been making this one http://www.aww.com.au/food/recipes/2012/9/sticky-date-pudding-with-caramel-sauce/ for years with excellent results, and because the dates are pureed at the start there are no lumps in the mixture.
Let’s not go making assumptions, Annemarie! It all depends on how you feel about dates! I prefer a very fine chop as you’ll soon see.
Cheerio,
– Joe
Mmmm! This has been a family favourite all my life! I always boil the dates in strong earl grey tea which gives it an amazing bergamot flavour, but never thought to use coffee! Will try it next time. Thanks Joe!
I’ll try your version too! Thanks Tanyeen!
– Joe