Sticky Toffee Pudding
One of our favourite desserts when out to a restaurant is Sticky Toffee Pudding. Delicious dense spongy cake covered in a sweet and salty sauce and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. After searching the internet for a recipe to try at home I found this recipe and adapted it to our tastes.
From my kitchen to yours:
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients:
Cake
2/3 cup dates, pitted
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp rum extract (optional)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Sauce
1/4 cup butter, salted
1/2 cup coffee cream
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz. brandy or dark rum (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line your muffin tin (will make 12)
3. In a saucepan, combine dates and water and heat over medium high.
4. Once the mix begins to boil, add baking soda (there will be a chemical reaction causing the mixture to froth) stirring continuously and allow to boil for 1 more minute.
5. Remove from heat and with pot covered let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Place date mixture in your blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Then set aside.
7. While dates cool, cream together butter and sugar. Once mixed together beat in vanilla extract, rum extract, egg and egg yolk until fluffy.
8. In separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
9. Add dry ingredients and date mixture in thirds alternately to the creamed ingredients - beating on low until smooth and all combined.
10. Using a 1/3 measuring cup scoop batter into muffin cups (should fill 1/2 to 2/3 of the muffin cup)
11. Bake cakes for 15-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean when cake is tested.
12. While cakes bake, in a saucepan melt down butter for sauce and add cream. Once mixture is hot add sugar to the sauce pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
13. Once sugar dissolves remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla and alcohol (optional) and set aside.
14. When cakes come out of the oven, dump cakes out onto cooling rack and remove liners.
15. Using a skewer, poke holes through each cake (approx. five-six) for the sauce to seep through.
16. Just before serving warm prepared sauce and spoon sauce over cakes. Top with whipped cream and enjoy.
**Store sauce in an airtight container like a mason jar for up to 1 week.
