Sticky toffee pudding

What better way is there to start pudding month than with sticky toffee pudding? To me it’s everything a pudding should be and it’s the one I will always order if I see it on a pub menu.

There are so many different ways to make this but I’ve never had one that I didn’t like. Actually that’s not strictly true, I made it once with dried apricots instead of dates, as I read somewhere that it cut through the overly sweetness of it: the result was disgusting and not worthy of the name sticky toffee pudding so it doesn’t really count. The dates are obligatory for getting the right toffee flavour, so don’t be tempted to mess around with other dried fruit. If you don’t want something eye-poppingly sweet, then have a stick of celery instead.

I’ve quadrupled the amount of toffee sauce from the original recipe, because if you’re going to do something you may as well do it properly. This means you can put a decent amount in the bottom of the pudding basin and it will coat the top (or bottom, depending on which way up it is) and bubble up the sides in sticky globs. Plus if you do end up with any leftover its great warmed in the microwave and poured over vanilla ice cream.



Things I have learnt from making sticky toffee pudding:

I’ve suggested using Lady Grey tea to soak to dates in, as it adds an extra subtle dimension to the flavour, but if you don’t like tea you can skip this and just use water.

The batter is much runnier than normal cake batter, but don’t be alarmed and add more flour. It must be something to do with the way it steams for a long time but it comes out cooked through and nice and moist-textured.

I found a really handy tip in this article. If you freeze the toffee sauce in the bottom of the basin it won’t all get displaced up the sides when you pour the batter into the basin.

I have this clever basin with markers around the edge so you know where the water should be when steaming a pudding, but it’s basically between a quarter and half of the way up the sides.



Steamed sticky toffee pudding: serves 3-4
(adapted from the Pudding Club’s book: Great British Puddings)

50g dates
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200ml water
1 Lady Grey tea bag
30g butter, plus extra for greasing
85g muscovado sugar
1 egg
140g self raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

For the toffee sauce:
115g salted butter
60g caster sugar
60g muscovado sugar
140ml double cream

• Grease a 900ml pudding basin with butter put a large saucepan of water on to boil
• Put the tea bag in a bowl with 200ml boiling water, leave to cool whilst you make the toffee sauce
• Heat all the toffee sauce ingredients in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, bring to the boil whilst stirring occasionally and boil gently for 5 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon
• Pour some of the toffee sauce (about ¼) into the basin and place in the freezer until required
• Remove the tea bag from the water. Finely chop the dates and add to the cooled tea along with the bicarbonate of soda
• In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg
• Mix the flour and baking powder together then add this to the butter mixture, alternating between additions of the date/tea mixture. Beat between additions until everything is thoroughly combined
• Pour the batter into the prepared pudding basin
• Cover the top of the basin with a layer of foil and carefully put into the pan of gently boiling water, replace the lid and steam for 1 hour 15 minutes
• Whilst the pudding is steaming, check it to make sure the water has not boiled dry. If it’s looking a little low, add some more boiling water from the kettle
• Carefully remove the basin from the pan with a tea towel. Remove the foil lid, cover with a serving plate and flip the whole thing over
• Remove the pudding basin and pour over the re-warmed toffee sauce
• Serve with custard (recipe below) or ice-cream

Custard:
300ml whole milk
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• In a large mixing bowl, beat together the egg, egg yolks, sugar and cornflour
• Heat the milk in a saucepan then pour over the egg mixture in a steady stream whilst whisking continuously with a balloon whisk
• Pour back into the saucepan and heat gently, whilst stirring with the whisk, until the mixture thickens
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract
• If not using immediately, pour into a bowl and cover the surface with a layer of cling film to prevent a skin forming.