This year Christmas Eve’s dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding. I first had and fell in love with this dessert at the Golden Tea Garden in Hayward, and had made it once before. It was a good choice. I served it with vanilla ice cream. I followed the instructions from this epicurious recipe pretty closely, but if I made it again I’d follow the advise of one of the reviewers and double the amount of sauce, pour same half of it on the cake the day I make it and then top it with the other half.
I made the cake the day before and the sauce a few hours earlier.
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 1 pckg (~6 oz) pitted dates
- 1 1/4 c water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
For the sauce
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tsp brandy
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
For the pudding
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a bundt pan or 6 ramekins.
Place dates and water in a small sauce pan and heat until it starts to boil. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Using a blender, puree.
In a separate bowl, sift flour. Whisk in the baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the vanilla. Mix in one egg, then half of the flour mixture and half of the date puree. Repeat with the additional egg and rest of flour and puree.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Unmold.
For the sauce
Put the sugar, butter and cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and mix in the brandy and vanilla extract.
Pour sauce over the cake and serve.