Sticky Toffee Pudding

About the recipe

This dark, moist date cake is usually soaked with a toffee sauce, but in this recipe the sauce is baked right inside the cake. Medjool dates are the preferred variety, but you’ll save yourself some trouble if you buy any variety that is already pitted.

Muscovado sugar, an unrefined moist sugar with a molasses taste, can be a little tricky to source. If you can’t find it at your local farmer’s market, substitute dark brown sugar.

Serves: 8

Hands On Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 0 minutes

Ingredients

Cake 

1/2 cup muscovado sugar (preferably dark)

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

8 ounces pitted dates, roughly chopped

1 cup muscovado sugar (preferably dark)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, broken into small pieces

2 cups boiling water

Instructions

To make the cake: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

Combine the muscovado sugar with the flour in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a measuring cup; beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter. Pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula just until combined. Fold in the chopped dates. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. (Don’t be concerned that it doesn’t look very full; it will rise as it bakes.)

Sprinkle 1 cup muscovado sugar over the top of the batter and dot with the pieces of butter. Pour the boiling water over the top of the entire dish and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the top of the pudding cake is springy and spongy when touched. Remove from oven to cool. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream.