Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.

Put the dates in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda

and cover with 200ml/7fl oz of boiling water. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes to soften, then
drain. Whiz the dates in a food processor until you have a pure. Meanwhile, cream your butter
and sugar until pale using a wooden spoon, and add the eggs, flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and
Ovaltine. Mix together well, then fold in the yoghurt and your pured dates. Pour into a buttered,
ovenproof dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
While the pudding is cooking, make the toffee sauce by putting the butter, sugar and cream in a
pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and darkened in
colour. To serve, spoon out the pudding at the table and pour over the toffee sauce.

ingredients
225g fresh dates, stoned
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
85g unsalted softened butter
170g caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
170g self-raising flour
teaspoon ground mixed spice
teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons Ovaltine
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
for the toffee sauce
115g unsalted butter
115g light muscovado sugar
140ml double cream

Serves six:
50g (2oz) unsalted butter
175g (6oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
175g (6oz) chopped dates
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml (1/2) pint water
175g (6oz) self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
Toffee sauce:

50g (2oz) demerara sugar

300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
1 tablespoon black treacle
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or 350 F/gas mark 4.
Beat the sugar and butter together until light, add the eggs and mix well. Place the dates in a pan,
cover with the water and boil until soft, stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
Stir the flour, dates and vanilla into the creamed butter/sugar/eggs and pour into a greased
baking tin (85 inches/2013cm) or individual molds. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the puddings
feel firm with the slightest of give in them.
Place all of the sauce ingredients together in a pan and bring to the boil, stir frequently. Pour over
the top of the cooked pudding before placing under a hot grill until bubbling. Remove from the tin,
cut into desired portions and serve with the left-over sauce and a spoon of good quality vanilla ice
cream.

The Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe

It doesn't get better than this!
You'll need the following ingredients:
For The Pudding
225g (8oz) whole Medjool dates
175g (6 fl oz) boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g (6 oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
85g (3 oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
140g (5 oz) demerara sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
100ml (3 fl oz) milk
For The Toffee Sauce
175g (6 oz)light muscovado sugar
50g (2 oz) butter, cut into pieces
225ml (8 fl oz) double cream
1 tbsp black treacle
How To Do:
Stone the dates, and chop them in quite small pieces. Put them in a bowl, pour the boiling water
over them, and leave them to soak for about 30 mins until cool. Once they are well soaked, mash
a bit with a fork, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Butter and flour the muffin pan, or 7 seperate pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them

on a baking sheet. Alternatively, you can use bread baking tins, and cut into portions later on.
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4.
Now, while the dates are soaking, it's time to make the puddings. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of
soda together, and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large
bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar).
Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle. Now,
using a large metal spoon or a rubber spatula, gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the
milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used.
Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and
will be like a soft, thick batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until
risen and firm. Be aware that using larger baking tins will increase the baking time.
Meanwhile, put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream.
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely
dissolved.
Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat a tiny bit, and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins
until it has a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.
Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins/trays for a few mins, then loosen them well
from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. Put them out on
plates, drizzle the sauce over them, and serve immediately while warm.
When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still
covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream or
custard.