Wednesday Recipes--Scrumptious Sticky Toffee Pudding

Inspirations for recipes also come from many places. My husband and I became fans of the Great British Baking Show during Covid. Then, we got to travel to England and Scotland and try some of the dishes we'd seen on the show. This one was my husband's favorite--he got it at many restaurants in London, Edinburgh, you get the picture!

When I got home, I ordered Mary Berry's cookbook and started baking. However, the recipe for sticky toffee pudding contained dates. My husband was against the idea of dates so I didn't make it--until now. I was re-watching some of the shows and said to myself, "Self. We must make this whether hubby tries it or not." So, I did.

And it was scrumptious!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients for Cake:

6 tablespoons butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon coffee extract (I didn't have any so used vanilla)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped (not dried)

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup hot water

Directions for Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter the cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (I skipped the paper and everything was fine, up to you).

3. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, extract, and flour into a large bowl. Beat well until smooth and thoroughly blended (I did so in the bowl of a stand mixer).

4. Stir in the dates and walnuts, and then the measured hot water. Pour the mixture into the pan.

5. Bake for 45 -50 minutes until the pudding is well-risen, browned on top, and springy to the touch.

Toffee Sauce

Ingredients:

9 tablespoons butter (I actually ran out and 8 was fine)

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

6 tablespoons heavy cream

3/5 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

About 10 minutes before the pudding is ready, make the toffee sauce: put the butter and sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Stir in the cream and walnuts and heat gently to warm through.

Vanilla Pouring Custard (this is extra, but many restaurants served with both sauces and we loved it this way)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of milk

1 vanilla bean

3 extra large egg yolks

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Heat the milk in a pan until hot (when a film coats the side of the pan).

2. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla bean, split open.

3. Cover and infuse for 20 minutes (I did this right after I put the cake in the oven).

4. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until combined.

5. Remove the vanilla bean and discard.

6. Whisk the milk into the egg yolk mixture.

7. Return to the pan and stir over low heat with a wooden spoon.

8. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard is smooth and coats the back of the spoon.

Assembly:

1. Slice warm cake into slices.

2. Pour both sauces while warm.

3. Enjoy!!

PS. While three components might seem intimidating, the entire thing took an hour total! :)