Sticky Toffee Pudding with Salted Butterscotch
1 h · Medium
#autumn#bake#comfort#dessert#weekend
Dark, wet, date-sweet sponge under a flood of salted butterscotch — the pudding that ends every good British dinner. The batter looks worryingly loose in the bowl; trust it, that is exactly why the finished sponge stays so damp. Serve hot, with more sauce than seems sensible.
Ingredientsfor 8 portions
- 200 g Dates, Dried, pitted and chopped
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 100 g Butter, softened
- 120 g Brown Sugar
- 2 large egg Large Eggs
- 200 g All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp Golden Syrup
- 150 ml Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
Steps
- Cover the chopped dates with boiling water, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and leave them for 10 minutes, until they collapse under the back of a spoon.
- Heat the oven to 180 °C and butter a baking dish.
- Beat two-thirds of the butter with two-thirds of the brown sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each.
- Fold in the flour, then the soaked dates along with their soaking liquid. The batter will look alarmingly loose — that is correct, and it is precisely why the sponge stays dark and wet.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until risen and springy and a skewer comes out with only a crumb or two clinging to it.
- For the sauce, melt the remaining butter and sugar with the golden syrup over low heat, then pour in the cream and simmer for 3 minutes until it thickens to a glossy caramel. Season with the salt and vanilla.
- Prick the warm sponge all over, pour over a third of the sauce and let it soak in for 10 minutes, then serve in squares with the rest poured over the top.
