I discovered this lovely gooey dessert when looking for an alternative for the Christmas pudding, which not everybody likes. It is now a firm favourite and sure to win over friends at any dinner party.

I even saw Sticky Toffee Pudding served as a dessert canape at Sanctum Soho Hotel in London – and believe me it was the most popular canape of the evening (they had cut it into small squares, popped them on toothpicks and drizzled with the toffee sauce!).

This recipe is great because it doesn’t require complicated methods:  it is more about bunging all the ingredients together which is a great time saver. After all who wants to waste time in the kitchen when you could be with your guests instead.

A word of warning though – this makes enough for about 12! So if you have fewer guests and want to protect your waistline against leftovers consider halving the recipe.

Ingredients

Pudding:

340g dates
2tsp bicarb of soda
120g butter
340g brown sugar
4 eggs
340g self-raising flour
1tsp vanilla essence

Toffee Sauce:

400g brown sugar
200ml thickened cream
250g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

To Serve:

Clotted cream
Strawberries
Mint leaves

Method

Pudding:

Boil dates and bicarbonate of soda in two cups of water until the dates begins to breakdown forming a thick mixture. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix remaining ingredients together well. Add date mixture to other ingredients and pour into 29cm tall side, round cake tin (I use the silicon ones as they are easier to turn out and clean). Bake for 1 hr at 170 degrees celsius (gas mark 3).

Sauce:

Mix ingredients together in a pot and simmer gently until well combined and sugar has completely dissolved.

The pudding is delicious warm but if you have made it the night before make sure the pud is at room temperature. To serve cut slices of pudding and cover with warmed sauce. Serve with a dollop of clotted cream and a strawberry and mint leaf for colour.

Enjoy!

[picture credit: Cam Incoll]

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