Sticky toffee pudding

This is one of my favourite puddings especially if it is served with ice cream. This is a take on a Nigel Slater recipe. The recipe says it serves 6 but they are huge portions so I would say it serves 9, it also keeps well over night in the fridge, just reheat pudding in microwave ( 45seconds per individual portion) and reheat toffee sauce on the hob.

For the pudding

5oz dates, stoned and chopped

9fl oz hot water

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 1/4oz softened butter

2 1/4oz caster sugar

2 eggs

5oz self raising flour

For the toffee sauce

7oz butter

12oz brown sugar ( I used a mix of soft light brown sugar, soft muscovado and demerara

1 tsp vanilla essence

9fl oz double cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c / 370f / gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm / 8in square cake tin.

2. Mix the dates, bicarbonate of soda and water together in a bowl and leave to soak for 10min.

3. In a clean bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

4. Still mixing the butter mixture, gradually add the eggs, making sure they are well combined.

5. Still mixing, gradually add the flour and the date mixture. I found the soaked dates were still in a lot of the water so I used a spoon to remove the dates with an amount of the water but not all of it. I am not sure if my dates needed longer to soak, but I think adding all the water would have made a fairly runny batter too wet.

6. Pour the batter into the tin and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked through.

To make the sauce

1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottom pan over a medium heat.

2. Add the brown sugar, vanilla essence and cream and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. To serve, cut a portion of the pudding onto a plate and pour over the hot toffee sauce.