Toffee Pear Sticky Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• Peel the pears and cut the bottom off each to give a flat base - cut them to a height that will fit snugly in your tin. Use a melon baller or small knife to cut out the pips from the base. Roughly chop the pear scraps, discarding the pips, and set aside. Tip the sugar, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, zests and 600ml water into a saucepan large enough to fit all the pears. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears, cover with a lid or a piece of baking parchment, and poach gently for 15 mins until a knife easily slides into a pear. Leave to cool in the liquid.
• Now make the sponge. Put the dates and linseeds in a saucepan and add the almond milk. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 2-3 mins until the dates are soft. Pour into a food processer and blitz until smooth. Add the oil and blend again, then scrape into a bowl and set aside to cool a little. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tin (a loose -bottomed one if possible) with a strip of baking parchment.
• Put the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl with 1/ 2 tsp salt. Mix well, breaking up any lumps of sugar with your fingers, and shaking the bowl a few times to encourage any remaining lumps to come to the surface. Add the date and oil mixture, and stir well. Fold in the chopped pear scraps. Scrape the cake mixture into the tin, then nestle in the pears, standing straight up, so that the bottom halves are covered. Bake for 35-40 mins until the cake is cooked through. Insert a skewer to the centre to check - it should come out clean. If there is any wet cake mixture on the skewer, return the cake to the oven and bake for 10 mins more, then check again.
• Meanwhile, bring the pear poaching liquid back to the boil and simmer until reduced to a glossy syrup. When the pudding is cooked, cool for 5-10 mins, then brush all over with the syrup, saving a little extra to serve alongside, with vegan ice cream, if you like.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan combine the water, dates, and pears. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, covered, about 15 minutes or until fruit is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Mash with a potato masher, fork, or immersion blender until as smooth as possible. Stir in baking soda; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; set aside. In a large bowl combine brown sugar and butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Stir in date-pear mixture. Stir in flour mixture just until combined. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack. Immediately use a long skewer to prick top of cake all over. Spoon the portion of Toffee-Pear Sauce without pears over cake. Bake for 3 minutes more. Cool on the wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm with the portion of Toffee-Pear Sauce with pears.

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/4 cups of the heavy cream, the sugar, corn syrup and butter. Cook, stirring often, until a dark amber color, about 40 minutes. Carefully add the remaining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream. IT WILL BUBBLE UP AND IT IS HOT!
• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease seven 1/2 cup ramekins and set aside.
• Combine the dates and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan and cook until the dates are softened, about 15 minutes. Puree in a blender and cool. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, zest and date puree. Stir in the dry ingredients. Divide into the prepared ramekins and bake about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and remove the cakes from the ramekins. Slice the cakes in half horizontally. Rinse out the ramekins. Pour a little toffee sauce in the bottom of the ramekins and top with the bottom layer of the cake. Add more toffee sauce, place the top cake layer on top and cover with more sauce. Heat slightly before serving invert onto plate and yes ...cover with more sauce. Serve with whipped cream.

Steps:

• For the pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the dates and 3/4 cup water to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until the water has slightly reduced and the dates are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, then cover the saucepan and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Transfer the dates and liquid to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until smooth. Pour the date mixture into a bowl and cool to room temperature.
• Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps of flour. Set aside the dry ingredients. Add the brown sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar together, scraping down the bowl as needed, until fluffy and lighter in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until it is evenly combined. Add the orange zest and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until incorporated, then add the date mixture. Mix until well combined, then add the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Spray 8 of the cups in a 12-cup muffin pan with the cooking spray. Fill the greased cups with 1/3 cup batter each. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• For the whiskey toffee sauce: Meanwhile, add the heavy whipping cream, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and salt to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture continuously until the butter is melted. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the whiskey and continue to simmer until the sauce has slightly darkened in color, an additional 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep covered until ready to serve.
• Cool the puddings in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Once the puddings are cool enough to handle, remove them from the muffin pan using an offset spatula. Trim the domed tops from the puddings and set them on serving plates, cut-side down. Pour the warm whiskey toffee sauce over the puddings and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Set oven to 180°C.
• With butter grease a 1.25-1.5 litre ovenproof dish, and arrange the pear halves, cut side up, in the dish.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, stir in the sugar.
• Beat the egg into the milk, then beat egg mixture into the butter.
• Pour batter into the dry ingredients and whisk well with beater until smooth then pour batter over the pears and set aside.
• To make the sticky topping: Put the brown sugar and syrup into a small saucepan with 175ml cold water.
• Warm through over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves then
• increase the heat and bring to the boil without stirring. Take off the heat and immediately pour the sauce over the unbaked pudding.
• Sit buttered ovenproof dish in a baking tray half filled with water and bake for 45 minutes until the sponge is golden and sticky on top.
• Leave for 5 minutes before serving with cream.