The Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• Put the dates in a bowl and cover with the 1 cup boiling water to soften, at least 5 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 and grease a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Combine the 3 tablespoons butter, baking soda, a pinch of salt, Demerara sugar, 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla extract in a food processor and pulse until just combined. Add the dates and 1/2 cup of the water to the mixture; pulse until nearly smooth (specks of dates should remain visible).
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, until just firm to the touch. (When the pudding has finished baking, remove from the oven and heat the broiler. Put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.)
• Meanwhile, make the topping. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then slowly add 1 cup cream and 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt, whisking continuously until the mixture bubbles gently and comes together to form a smooth mixture; turn off heat.
• In another small saucepan over medium heat, make the extra sauce. Melt 3 tablespoons butter, then slowly add 1 ¼ cups cream and 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Repeat the process above.
• Pour the topping (careful not to use the extra sauce) over the cooked pudding and place the whole thing in the broiler until it bubbles and looks sticky, 1 or 2 minutes (watch it closely). To serve, spoon into bowls and cover with the extra sauce. If you like, add a dollop of whipped cream.

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Place dates in a bowl, pour coffee over dates, and let soak 15 minutes. Stir in baking soda.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated.
• Reduce speed to low, and add half the flour mixture, beating until combined. Add date mixture and remaining flour mixture, and beat until just combined. (Do not overmix.) Transfer batter to dish, and bake until cake is puffed and springs back in center when gently pressed with a finger, about 25 minutes.
• Sauce: Meanwhile, combine butter, sugar, and cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium (so sauce does not boil over) and boil, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and darkens slightly, about 4 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven and pierce holes at 1-inch intervals to bottom of cake with a wooden skewer. Pour half of hot sauce over cake and let soak 20 minutes. Serve warm with remaining sauce. Cake soaked in sauce and remaining toffee sauce can be stored at room temperature up to 1 day. Before serving, warm cake in a 300 degrees oven 10 minutes, and sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Steps:

• For pudding:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour Bundt pan. Bring dates and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan with tall sides. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will become foamy). Set aside; let cool.
• Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend (mixture will be grainy). Add 1 egg; beat to blend. Add half of flour mixture and half of date mixture; beat to blend. Repeat with remaining 1 egg, flour mixture, and date mixture. Pour batter into mold.
• Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert pudding onto rack. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
• For sauce:
• Bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in brandy, if using, and vanilla. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm gently before using.
• Cut cake into wedges. Serve with sauce and whipped cream.

Steps:

• Chop the dates into small pieces, put in a small bowl then pour over 175ml boiling water. Leave to cool, about 30 mins. Oil (using the ½ tsp oil) then flour 7 x 200ml pudding tins (tapping out excess flour). Sit them on a baking sheet.
• Stir the vanilla and treacle into the dates, and mash with a fork to a rough purée.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the puddings, beat the eggs in a small bowl. Mix the bicarbonate of soda and 175g flour together. Stir the 75ml oil and demerara sugar together in a larger bowl, using a wooden spoon. Pour in the eggs a bit at a time, beating as you go. Gently fold in one-third of the flour with a large metal spoon, then half the yogurt. Don't overmix. Repeat, finishing with the last of the flour. Gently stir the mashed dates in to a thick batter. Spoon evenly between the tins. Bake for 20-25 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the muscovado sugar and butter into a small heavy-based pan. Heat over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar starts to dissolve, without bringing to the boil or it may burn. The mixture will be quite thick, like fudge, and the sugar won't dissolve completely at this stage. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the black treacle and vanilla. Cool for 1-2 mins, then stir in the crème fraîche a spoonful at a time, so it incorporates smoothly into the mixture. If it's a bit lumpy, use a small wire whisk to break them up.
• To serve, loosen around the sides of the puddings with a round-bladed knife, then turn out onto plates. Spoon a little sauce over each one and finish with a drizzle of it on the plate. Puddings and sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Steps:

• Butter a medium rectangular baking tin (roughly 30 x 20cm, and at least 5cm deep) and line with baking parchment. Tip the dates into a heatproof bowl with the bicarb and vanilla, then pour over the rum, if using, and 200ml kettle-hot water. (If omitting the rum, use 300ml water.) Leave to soak for 30 mins. Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry pan over a medium heat for 6-8 mins until nutty and starting to brown a little. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Tip the dates and their soaking liquid into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Tip half back into the bowl, then blitz the rest to a smooth purée. Pour this over the roughly chopped dates in the bowl.
• Tip the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat using an electric whisk or for 3-5 mins until fluffy. Or, do this in a stand mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then fold through the flour, spices and a large pinch of salt. The batter will be thick. Fold through the date mixture and pecans, then scrape everything into the prepared tin. Level the surface with a spatula and bake for 30-35 mins until just set and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• While the pudding bakes, make the sauce. Tip the sugar, butter and treacle into a saucepan and warm over a medium heat, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Bubble for 3 mins until the mixture is thick. Stir in the cream and simmer, stirring, for 2 mins until you have a dark toffee sauce. About 10 mins before the end of the pudding cooking time, remove it from the oven, drizzle half the sauce over and spread out with a spatula to cover. Bake for 6-8 mins more until the sauce is bubbling. Leave to cool slightly, then serve hot or just warm with ice cream, double cream or clotted cream, with the remaining sauce poured over.

Steps:

• Put the dates in a heatproof bowl, cover with 150ml boiling water, and leave to soak for 30 mins. Butter a 1-litre pudding basin and line the base with baking parchment.
• Tip half the butter, half the treacle, the vanilla, 75g of the sugar and the cream into a pan set over a medium heat. Cook for 4-5 mins, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat, bubble for 3 mins, then whisk in a pinch of salt. Pour a third of the sauce into the basin.
• Beat the remaining butter, treacle, sugar and the eggs together, then fold in the flour, bicarb, ¼ tsp salt, the dates and their soaking liquid. Spoon into the basin and smooth the surface, leaving a 1cm gap from the top. Cover with a double layer of baking parchment and foil, making a pleat in the middle so the pud can expand. Secure with kitchen string.
• Set the slow cooker to low. Sit the basin inside, then add boiling water so it comes halfway up the basin. Cover and cook for 7-8 hrs. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding and turn out onto a plate. Reheat the remaining sauce and pour over. Serve with ice cream.