Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

• 200g pitted Medjool dates, roughly chopped
• 250ml boiling water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 175g self-raising flour
• 85g unsalted butter, softened
• 140g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g light muscovado sugar for the sauce
• 150g unsalted butter for the sauce
• 300ml double cream
• 1 tbsp black treacle for the sauce
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

Before you cook

• Heat the oven to 160C fan and butter a 20cm square baking tin, then line the base with paper.
• Roughly chop the dates and put them in a heatproof bowl.
• Bring the kettle to the boil.

Steps

1. Pour the boiling water over the dates and stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
2. Leave the dates to soften for fifteen minutes; they will swell and the mixture will darken and foam slightly.
3. Mash the softened dates with a fork into a rough pulp and set the bowl aside to cool a little.
4. Beat the softened butter and dark muscovado sugar together for three minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each so the mixture does not split.
6. Beat in the treacle and vanilla.
7. Fold in the flour with a large spoon until just combined, stopping before the last streaks disappear.
8. Pour in the date mixture with its liquid and fold gently; the batter will look alarmingly loose, which is correct.
9. Pour the batter into the lined tin.
10. Bake for thirty-five to forty minutes until the top springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out with only a crumb or two.
11. Put the sauce butter, light muscovado sugar and treacle in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
12. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved completely, about four minutes.
13. Pour in the cream and bring the sauce to a gentle bubble.
14. Simmer the sauce for five minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens enough to coat a spoon.
15. Stir the flaky salt into the sauce.
16. Prick the hot sponge all over with a skewer.
17. Pour a third of the hot sauce over the sponge and let it soak in for ten minutes.
18. Cut the pudding into squares and serve with the remaining hot sauce and cold cream or vanilla ice cream.