Sticky Toffee Pudding

A cakey version food for the gods drenched with warm, gooey sauce. Drool!

Yield 12 small cakes  Prep Time 15 minutes  Baking Time 12 to 15 minutes

1 1/4 cups dates                                      
1 cup boiling water                                     
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs                                        
1 teaspoon vanilla extract                   
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
      (No buttermilk? Use plain yogurt or sour cream instead)

For the pudding sauce
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

1  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease pudding molds. (Learn how to grease a pan here)

2  In a bowl, steep dates in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the water. Pulse dates in a food processor until roughly chopped.

3  In a medium saucepan, melt together butter and sugar on medium heat.

4  Remove from heat and mix in eggs one at a time.

5  Mix in vanilla extract and dates.

6  In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add in to batter. Add the buttermilk, mixing until combined.

7  Transfer batter to pudding molds and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until cake tester inserted into one of the molds comes out clean.

8  Make the pudding sauce: In a saucepan over low heat, combine butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream, stirring constantly until smooth and slightly thickened. Spoon over pudding. Serve individually on dessert plates with more sauce.

Saucy tip:  What makes this dessert so yummy? The sauce. So make sure to use good quality butter and cream. For an added crunch, you can add some chopped nuts to the batter, about 1/2 to 1 cup (walnuts work really well here). When you want to indulge a little, you can serve each pudding with a scoop of ice cream.

Photography by At Maculangan | Styling by Paulynn Chang Afable | Recipe reprinted with permission from Home Café, published by Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) pte ltd. | Props from Rustan’s Department Store