Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

Pudding

  • 6oz dates, stoned and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 pint boiling water
  • 2oz butter
  • 6oz caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 6oz self-raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla

Sauce

  • 14oz brown sugar
  • 8fl oz thick cream
  • 9oz butter
  • 1 vanilla pod, split

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 7inch square cake tin.

Pudding

  1. Mix dates and bicarbonate of soda. Pour over water and leave to stand.
  2. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
  3. Fold flour in gently, then stir in date mixture and vanilla and pour into prepared tin.
  4. Bake in centre of oven for 30-40 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Sauce

  1. Bring all ingredients to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove vanilla pod.
  4. Pour a little sauce over warm pudding and return it to oven for 2-3 minutes so sauce soaks in.
  5. Cut pudding into squares and pass extra sauce.