Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe

Prepare dates

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish or six individual pudding ramekins. Put the chopped dates into a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda; set aside and let soak for 10 minutes — the mixture will go darker and slightly frothy.

Make batter

In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar together until pale and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes with an electric mixer). Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract. Fold in the self-raising flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. Fold in the soaked date mixture (including any liquid) until evenly distributed; the batter will be fairly soft.

Bake

Spoon the batter into the prepared dish or divide between ramekins, smoothing the tops. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes for a single 8-inch dish, or 18–22 minutes for individual ramekins, until the top is springy and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter). Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Warm pudding

If serving immediately, poke a few holes in the warm pudding with a skewer and pour a little (about half) of the warm toffee sauce over the top so it soaks in. Keep the remaining sauce warm.

While the puddings bake, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the unsalted butter with the dark brown sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Carefully add the double cream and increase the heat slightly to bring just to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the optional black treacle/molasses for extra richness, the vanilla extract and a pinch of fine sea salt. Remove from heat and keep warm. Reserve about 60 ml for serving.

Spoon or invert the warm puddings onto serving plates if baked in a dish, or serve ramekins whole. Drizzle with remaining warm toffee sauce (and extra reserved sauce if desired) and place a scoop of vanilla pod ice cream alongside or on top so it melts into the sticky pudding. Serve immediately.

Make-ahead and reheating tip: Puddings can be baked ahead and kept covered at room temperature for a few hours or chilled and rewarmed in a 160°C (325°F) oven for 10–15 minutes. Warm the sauce gently before serving.