Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is one of the favourites of British desserts: a soft, moist date cake, drenched with warm toffee sauce.

The pudding

1. Chop the dates finely, pour hot water over them, and leave them to stand for 10 minutes, until they soften – this gives the batter its moisture and deep sweetness.

2. Cream the soft butter with the brown sugar, then add the eggs one at a time.

3. Sift in the wheat flour and the baking powder, and fold it in gently.

4. Stir in the soaked dates along with their soaking liquid.

5. Pour it into a buttered tin, and bake it at 180 °C for 30-35 minutes – it is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

The toffee sauce

6. Boil the brown sugar, the butter and the cream together, and bubble it for a few minutes, until it becomes a thick, glossy toffee. Pour it over the still-warm cake.

Tip: Warm, with vanilla ice cream, it is the real thing – the dates give it its deep, caramel flavour.