The festive season has unleashed an insatiable appetite. Will I ever locate that tiny amount of restraint, once safely guarded in my will power? I am finding myself amidst strange conversations on the trajectory of ‘you only live once’. Sound familiar? Torn between guilt and pleasure I opt for ‘guilty pleasure’ and ask my cousin Shalina to make her highly sought after ‘Sticky Toffee Pudding’.
Sticky Toffee Pudding makes me completely surrender to it’s decadence and comforting charm and I know that I am not alone, I know because I have noted your facial expressions. After all, what else does one expect when dates, pudding and a hot buttery and nutty toffee sauce come together. Total heaven! Served with a tablespoon of creme fraiche and a Do Not Disturb sign, you’re good to go!
Ingredients
Makes 9 cupcake sized puddings
Date Cake
3oz margarine (room temperature)
5oz caster sugar
6oz self raising flour
2 eggs
2oz finely sliced dates
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp camp coffee
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
9 cupcake cases
Sticky Toffee and Pecan Sauce
1oz chopped pecans
6oz of soft brown sugar
6 tbsp double cream
4 oz margarine
Method
Sticky Toffee and Pecan Sauce
1. Combine sugar, margarine, double cream and pecans in a saucepan over med/ low heat until completely melted.
Date Cake
1. Warm your oven to 350F
2. Beat margarine and sugar until fluffy
3. Combine eggs in a separate cup and slowly whisk in to the creamed margarine and sugar
4. Fold in the flour
5. In a separate jug, mix 6 fluid ounces of boiling water with vanilla essence, bicarbonate of soda and camp coffee and don’t be alarmed to see the liquid become fizzy
6. Stir the liquid into the butter, sugar, egg and flour mixture so that it forms a batter consistency.
7. Pour batter into cupcake cases about 3/4 full
8. Sprinkle on approximately 4 slivers of dates on to each pudding
9. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
10. Insert a skewer and if it comes out clean, your pudding is ready
11. Pour the sauce over the cake just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with ice cream, single cream (half and half) or creme fraiche
Pearls of Wisdom
Taste the toffee sauce before you remove from the heat to ensure that the texture is not ‘gritty’. Once the gritty-ness has disappeared, this means that the sugar has been completely melted.
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