Sticky Toffee Pudding; the dream (of the most sordid kind), the obsession, the way to any individual’s heart. Name me one man, celebrity or not, that I could not snare with this dessert. I’ll beat you to it and name him first, 90% Gok Wan. Jokes aside, this pudding really is the best. Comforting when you need it, luxurious when you want it and not too difficult to whip up.
I adapted this recipe from James Martin’s. He is such a filthy dessert slut and everything he touches, buttered and larded up, turns to cholesterol evoking, slutty gold. I adore him. He knows it too. Kind of awkwardly actually. I’ve always had a bit of a thing about him. Well, moer than a bit. I just, and am backed up by my mother (see – I’m not crazy), think that we might just be destined to be together. He is from my part of Yorkshire. He likes big, fat bottomed desserts, butter butter butter and fast cars. Ideal. AND, and I’ll be the first to admit that here it gets a little weird, he looks exactly like one of my ex-boyfriends, also from Yorkshire. Like, bloodily weirdly like one. Sooooo….having pretty much decided it was fate, it could only have been destiny that brought him into my orbit at the BBC Good Food Show in Glasgow last year. Like from a romantic scene in a movie he came into my sight….dry ice billowed, time slowed. It was time. Time for me to prey, to make my move. Like a sexy panther I stalked my way into his path. I knew with all certainty that our eyes would meet and that would be that. Yorkshire manor, unlimited cake, zero shame over an ever growing bottom, because his would always be larger. Perfect. BAM -destiny beckoned, suddenly he was a metre away from me and I, I…I shouted out ‘I LOVE YOU’ into his startled, poor, dear, slowly becoming appalled face.
To cut a long story short, though actually it was over within the brief 5 seconds it took for his security to whisk him away from the obviously deranged crazy person in his way, my bid for James Martin’s heart failed. Now all I have to remember him by is this recipe and his ever growing jowls on Saturday Kitchen every weekend. It’s not too sad though: it’s a good recipe and soz, Jamesey, my sauce is better.
Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.
I adapted this recipe from James Martin’s. He is such a filthy dessert slut and everything he touches, buttered and larded up, turns to cholesterol evoking, slutty gold. I adore him. He knows it too. Kind of awkwardly actually. I’ve always had a bit of a thing about him. Well, moer than a bit. I just, and am backed up by my mother (see – I’m not crazy), think that we might just be destined to be together. He is from my part of Yorkshire. He likes big, fat bottomed desserts, butter butter butter and fast cars. Ideal. AND, and I’ll be the first to admit that here it gets a little weird, he looks exactly like one of my ex-boyfriends, also from Yorkshire. Like, bloodily weirdly like one. Sooooo….having pretty much decided it was fate, it could only have been destiny that brought him into my orbit at the BBC Good Food Show in Glasgow last year. Like from a romantic scene in a movie he came into my sight….dry ice billowed, time slowed. It was time. Time for me to prey, to make my move. Like a sexy panther I stalked my way into his path. I knew with all certainty that our eyes would meet and that would be that. Yorkshire manor, unlimited cake, zero shame over an ever growing bottom, because his would always be larger. Perfect. BAM -destiny beckoned, suddenly he was a metre away from me and I, I…I shouted out ‘I LOVE YOU’ into his startled, poor, dear, slowly becoming appalled face.
To cut a long story short, though actually it was over within the brief 5 seconds it took for his security to whisk him away from the obviously deranged crazy person in his way, my bid for James Martin’s heart failed. Now all I have to remember him by is this recipe and his ever growing jowls on Saturday Kitchen every weekend. It’s not too sad though: it’s a good recipe and soz, Jamesey, my sauce is better.
Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.
Recipe
Ingredients (Serves about 8):
55g/2oz butter, plus extra for greasing
170g/6oz demerera sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 free-range eggs
2 tbsp black treacle
200g/7oz self raising flour, plus extra for flouring
200g/7oz pitted dates
290ml/10fl oz boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
Sauce:
110ml Double Cream
55g Butter
55g Caster Sugar
55g water
1 tbsp Black Treacle
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
Salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Grease and flour a rectangle cake tin, 12 inch, (or 6 individual moulds).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Make sure you cream it really well – this means that you’ll get a nice smooth, light and airy sponge. Process or beat it for about 6 minutes. Add the golden syrup, treacle and eggs, a little at a time, and blend until smooth. Add the flour and blend, at a low speed, until well combined. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Meanwhile, blend the dates and boiling water in a food processor to a smooth purée. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla. It’ll all puff up and go all spongey with air – this is great, it and the self raising flour will make it rise.
4. Pour the date mixture into the pudding batter and fold until well combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is springy and golden-brown. If the top is browning too much, cover it with some tin foil.
6. To make the sauce, make a caramel by putting the sugar and water into a pan and leaving, without touching, over medium heat until the water has evaporated, the sugar has turned and an amber caramel has been formed. This will take a while but don’t you dare leave it. Keep your eye on it like a hawk or it will burn! The first thing that will happen is you’ll see the syrup thickening. Then it’ll start going a little amber. Don’t stir it, just swirl the pan if anything to make it brown evenly. If you stir it it can make it all crystallize and be ruined. Once it reaches a deep toffee amber, and about 180 Celsius incidentally, it is ready for the next stage. Have a gander below for some photographic aids of what to look out for.
7. Add in the other ingredients and stir into a sauce. Season with a pinch of salt.
8. Slice the sponge. Heat for 10 seconds if needed in the microwave, or the hot sauce will heat it up, drizzle VERY liberally with the sauce and serve. Delicious.
Ingredients (Serves about 8):
55g/2oz butter, plus extra for greasing
170g/6oz demerera sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 free-range eggs
2 tbsp black treacle
200g/7oz self raising flour, plus extra for flouring
200g/7oz pitted dates
290ml/10fl oz boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
Sauce:
110ml Double Cream
55g Butter
55g Caster Sugar
55g water
1 tbsp Black Treacle
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
Salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Grease and flour a rectangle cake tin, 12 inch, (or 6 individual moulds).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Make sure you cream it really well – this means that you’ll get a nice smooth, light and airy sponge. Process or beat it for about 6 minutes. Add the golden syrup, treacle and eggs, a little at a time, and blend until smooth. Add the flour and blend, at a low speed, until well combined. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Meanwhile, blend the dates and boiling water in a food processor to a smooth purée. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla. It’ll all puff up and go all spongey with air – this is great, it and the self raising flour will make it rise.
4. Pour the date mixture into the pudding batter and fold until well combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is springy and golden-brown. If the top is browning too much, cover it with some tin foil.
6. To make the sauce, make a caramel by putting the sugar and water into a pan and leaving, without touching, over medium heat until the water has evaporated, the sugar has turned and an amber caramel has been formed. This will take a while but don’t you dare leave it. Keep your eye on it like a hawk or it will burn! The first thing that will happen is you’ll see the syrup thickening. Then it’ll start going a little amber. Don’t stir it, just swirl the pan if anything to make it brown evenly. If you stir it it can make it all crystallize and be ruined. Once it reaches a deep toffee amber, and about 180 Celsius incidentally, it is ready for the next stage. Have a gander below for some photographic aids of what to look out for.
7. Add in the other ingredients and stir into a sauce. Season with a pinch of salt.
8. Slice the sponge. Heat for 10 seconds if needed in the microwave, or the hot sauce will heat it up, drizzle VERY liberally with the sauce and serve. Delicious.
le beurre
sugar
cream together
black treacle in
golden syrup…mm
in with eggs
and flour
whisk up
mmm nice and airy
dates and bicarbonate in
sponge cooked and out
first stage. water has evaporated and you are left with a sugar syrup. About 110 celsius.
sugar turning, going amber, about 160celsius
the perfect colour. now add other sauce ingredients.
butter et al in
sauce: done.
drizzle and SCOFF
