Sticky Toffee Pudding Ultimate

A rich, gooey British sticky toffee pudding with moist date sponge and warm treacle toffee sauce—comforting, sticky and perfect with cream or ice cream.

Ingredients

pudding

225 g medjool dates
175 ml boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
175 g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 pcs eggs
85 g butter (for sponge)
140 g demerara sugar
2 tbsp black treacle (sponge)
100 ml milk

sauce & to serve

175 g muscovado sugar
50 g butter (for sauce)
225 ml double cream
1 tbsp black treacle (sauce)
1 scoop ice cream (to serve)

Directions

Stone and chop the dates, pour over the boiling water and leave about 30 minutes until cool and soaked, then mash and stir in the vanilla extract.
Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (about 200ml each) and preheat oven to 180C (fan 160C/gas 4).
Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together.
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.
Beat the 85g butter and 140g demerara sugar until slightly creamy, then add the eggs a little at a time, beating between additions.
Beat in 2 tbsp black treacle.
Gently fold in one-third of the flour mixture, then half the milk; repeat with remaining flour and milk, being careful not to overbeat.
Stir the soaked dates into the batter to make a soft thick mix.
Spoon batter evenly into tins and bake 20–25 minutes until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: put 175g muscovado sugar, 50g butter and half of the 225ml cream in a saucepan, bring to the boil stirring until sugar dissolves.
Stir in 1 tbsp black treacle, let bubble 2–3 minutes until a rich toffee colour, then remove from heat and beat in the remaining cream.
Remove puddings from oven, leave a few minutes, loosen and turn out.
Optional: pour half the sauce into an ovenproof dish, sit upturned puddings on it, pour remaining sauce over and cover loosely with foil to coat for up to two days.
To serve, reheat covered at 180C (fan 160C/gas 4) for 15–20 minutes until sauce bubbles; serve with cream or ice cream.