Asian Pear Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
Cinnamon, vanilla and poached pear.
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Ingredients
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Poached Asian Pears
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Toffee Sauce
To Serve
Method
Poached Asian Pears
- 1
Prepare pears
Peel the Asian pears, leaving stems intact if you like for presentation. Halve them lengthwise and use a small spoon or melon baller to remove the core, or leave whole and core from the base with a small corer.
- 2
Make poaching liquid
In a medium saucepan combine 600 ml water, 100 g granulated sugar, 50 g brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick and the scraped seeds and pod of 1 vanilla bean (slice the bean lengthwise). Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to brighten the flavor.
- 3
Poach pears
Bring the poaching liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring so the sugars dissolve. Add the prepared pears and reduce heat to low so the liquid barely simmers. Poach for 12–18 minutes for halved pears (20–25 minutes if whole) or until pears are tender when pierced with a knife but not falling apart.
- 4
Cool and store
Remove the pan from the heat and let pears cool in the liquid to room temperature so they absorb flavor. Transfer pears to a bowl and reserve the poaching liquid; strain and keep about 120 ml of the syrup to drizzle with the pudding or to add to the toffee sauce if desired. Refrigerate pears until ready to use (can be made a day ahead).
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
- 5
Prepare dates
Place the chopped pitted dates in a heatproof bowl and pour 240 ml boiling water over them. Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda, which will foam slightly. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to soften the dates, then mash lightly with a fork to create a chunky purée.
- 6
Preheat oven and pan
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish or similar individual pudding molds and line the base with parchment paper if desired.
- 7
Cream butter and sugar
In a large bowl, cream together 85 g softened unsalted butter and 100 g dark brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.
- 8
Combine eggs and vanilla
Beat in the 2 eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- 9
- 10
Add dry ingredients
In a separate bowl whisk together 190 g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined; do not overmix.
- 11
Bake
Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes for a single 8-inch dish (20–25 minutes for smaller individual puddings), until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter.
- 12
Rest
Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes in the pan. The pudding will be moist — this is correct. Turn out onto a serving platter or cut into portions and keep warm while preparing the toffee sauce.
Toffee Sauce
- 13
Make sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat melt 80 g unsalted butter. Add 120 g packed brown sugar and stir until combined. Pour in 200 ml double cream and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring gently to a simmer, stirring frequently, and cook for 4–6 minutes until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt. If the poaching syrup was reserved, stir up to 2 tablespoons (about 30–40 ml) into the sauce for pear flavor.
- 14
Finish
Taste and adjust salt or sugar if needed. Keep the sauce warm over the lowest heat or in a thermos until serving; it will thicken as it cools but can be loosened with a splash of cream or warm poaching liquid.
To Serve
- 15
Assemble
Warm individual servings of the sticky toffee pudding (or the whole cake) slightly if cooled. Place a portion on each plate. Spoon warm toffee sauce generously over the pudding.
- 16
Add pears and cream
Arrange a sliced or halved poached Asian pear alongside or on top of each pudding portion. Drizzle a little of the reserved pear syrup over the pears for shine. Serve with a generous pour of double cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- 17
Garnish
Finish with a light dusting of ground cinnamon if desired and a sprig or leaves of fresh mint for color. Serve immediately so the contrast of warm pudding and sauce with cool cream/ice cream is at its best.