Go Back
Print Recipe

Hairy Bikers' Sticky Toffee Pudding

It’s Sunday - you’ve got the family round and everyone deserves a treat. Discover how to make sticky toffee pudding, Hairy Bikers style. The Hairy Bikers say: There’s nothing better than a bowlful of this greatest of Cumbrian classics on a rainy winter Sunday. It warms you up and cheers you up. And it’s a great recipe for when you’re entertaining friends and family, as you can get it all prepared in advance then heat it through when you’re ready to eat.
Servings: 6 to 8 people
Author: From "The Hairy Bikers’ British Classics" by Si King and Dave Myers

Ingredients

  • 50 g butter plus extra for greasing
  • 200 g pitted dates roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 300 ml just-boiled water
  • 75 g light soft brown sugar
  • 75 g dark muscovado sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 175 g self-raising flour

For the sauce:

  • 125 g butter
  • 75 g light soft brown sugar
  • 50 g dark muscovado sugar
  • 200 ml double or whipping cream
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Butter an ovenproof dish – either a large traditional oval one or a brownie tin measuring about 20 x 30cm.
  • Put the dates and bicarb in a bowl and cover with the just-boiled water then leave to stand
  • Put the 50g of butter and the sugars in a bowl and beat with an electric beater until very soft and fluffy. Add the eggs, one a time, adding a heaped tablespoon of flour with each addition. Fold in the rest of the flour.
  • Add the dates and their soaking water and stir briefly to combine, then pour into the prepared dish. Bake the pudding in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it is springy to the touch and slightly shrinking away from the sides.
  • While the pudding is baking, make the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a pan, place over a low heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugars have dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of a light custard - it should coat the back of a spoon.
  • While the pudding is still hot, poke holes over the surface and pour over half the sauce. Leave the pudding to stand for a while – if you like, you can leave it for a couple of days and it will just get stickier.
  • When you’re ready to eat, warm it through again and serve with the rest of the sauce, also warmed through. Serve with cream or ice cream.