English Sticky Toffee Pudding

This is English pudding, which is not pudding, pudding, but cake! Now you know!

I had some sticky toffee pudding on my flight home from London and it was so amazing! I immediately looked up a recipe, when I got home! I have finally stopped being lazy (which is good, because I go back to teaching tomorrow), and I made the cake bit the other day and this morning, I made the toffee sauce and the whipped cream.

I am just going to throw this out there... when you cook the toffee sauce at too high of a heat, you get something that is neither sauce or actual toffee. It becomes some sort of soft caramel. So, beware, when you are stirring the sauce! Also, when you are folding in the date mixture, you will get a runny mess! It all works out, though, so don't be discouraged. (I know that I was and I thought that I did something wrong. Just look below, it all turned out fine.)

English Sticky Toffee Pudding Food Network

Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

1          cup plus one Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1          teaspoon baking powder

3/4       cup pitted dates

1-1/4   cups boiling water

1          teaspoon baking soda

1/4       cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4       cup granulated sugar

1          large egg, lightly beaten

1          teaspoon vanilla



TOFFEE SAUCE:

1/2       cup unsalted butter

1/2       cup heavy cream

1          cup packed light brown sugar



WHIPPED CREAM:

2          Tablespoons granulated sugar

1          cup heavy cream


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl  add boiling water and soda; set aside. In a bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; until blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack.

Toffee Sauce:
Combine the butter, cream, an brown sugar in a small medium saucepan; heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 of the sauce over the pudding. Spread evenly on top. Place pudding under the broiler until the topping is bubbly, about 1 minute.

Whipped Cream:
Put metal mixing bowl in freezer for 10- 15 minutes. Put sugar in bowl and pour in cream. Mix medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.


Serve Immediately spooned into dessert bowls. Drizzle with toffee sauce and top with a spoonful of whipped cream.