Sticky Toffee Pudding

1. Put the dates in a mixing bowl and add 100ml boiling water. Soak for 20 mins, then mash with a fork.
2. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/Gas 4.
3. Grease a 20cm x 15cm baking dish with a little butter or rapeseed oil but not too much.
4. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, flour, bicarbonate of sodas, demerara or golden caster sugar and the vanilla extract.
5. Stir the mashed dates into the pudding mixture until just combined.
6. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 30-35 mins or until the centre springs back when lightly pressed.

Sticky Toffee Sauce

Preparation

1. For the toffee sauce, heat the  dark brown sugar or muscavado sugar and syrup in a pan on low, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer.
2. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the double cream until smooth.
3. Pour the toffee sauce over the pudding.

Serve with a custard or a dessert sauce if desired although it will be sweet enough as it is. One way of adding an interesting twist is to make the sauce a little Far Eastern by adding flavours of tamarind and black pepper. These flavours just add something different to the general sense. The amounts used have to be judged but neither must overcome the overall sweetness of the toffee notes.  It was a sauce that was made on MasterChef and went down really well.

The Tamarind And Black Pepper Toffee Sauce:

• 100g light muscovado or dark brown sugar
• 100g unsalted butter
• 140ml double cream
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Tamarind and Black Pepper Toffee Sauce

Preparation

1. For the toffee sauce, heat the  dark brown sugar or muscavado sugar and syrup in a pan on low, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the tamarind paste and the ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
3. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the double cream until smooth.
4. Pour the toffee sauce over the pudding.