I made these puddings ahead of time to be served on Christmas Eve and was very pleased with the end result. The puddings themselves are not terribly sweet. With the sauce, the level of sweetness was perfect. The puddings drizzled with sauce and a few blueberries and raspberries beside a mound of whipped cream made for a lovely presentation.
Sticky Toffee Puddings (Le Cordon Bleu Cook Book)
200 g (6 1/2 oz.) dates, pitted and chopped
45 g (1 1/2 oz.) raisins
grated rind of half a lemon
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsps. coffee essence or 1 tbsp. of instant coffee mixed with 2 tbsps. of boiling water
115 g or 3 3/4 oz. of sweet butter, at room temperature
180 g (5 3/4 oz.) soft light brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
240 g. (7 1/2 oz.) self-raising flour
Toffee Sauce
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
60 g. (2 oz.) sweet butter
150 g. (5 oz.) Demerara sugar
150 mL (5 fl oz) thick (double) cream
Brush 10 175 mL (5 3/4 fl oz.) pudding moulds or ramekins with melted butter and chill before brushing again, then dust with flour and tap out excess. Preheat oven to moderate 180 degrees C (350 F/Gas 4)
Place the dates, raisins and lemon rind in a bowl, sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and coffee essence, pour on 300 mL (10 fl oz. of boiling water and set aside to soak for 1 hour.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and, using a wooden spoon or electric beaters, beat until light and creamy. Add the beaten eggs, in 6 additions, beating well between each addition. Sieve the flour and a pinch of salt onto the mixture and fold in using a large spoon or plastic spatula. Add the date and raisin mixture with its liquid and stir gently to produce a loose batter.
Spoon the mixture into the moulds to 3/4 full. Make a slight hollow in the centre of the mixture and bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until springy to the touch.
To make the toffee sauce, scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and add the pod, butter, sugar and cream and stir for 3 minutes to dissolve the sugar, then simmer over low-medium heat, without stirring, until smooth and golden brown. Remove and discard the vanilla pod, set the sauce aside and keep warm.
When the puddings are cooked, allow to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out. Serve warm with the toffee sauce and whipped cream.
Chef’s tip: If 10 puddings are too many, you could either halve the recipe or freeze the extra puddings. When you are ready to use the frozen puddings, defrost, then wrap in foil and reheat in a moderate 180 degrees C (350 F/Gas 4) oven for about 20 minutes.
Sticky Toffee Puddings (Le Cordon Bleu Cook Book)
200 g (6 1/2 oz.) dates, pitted and chopped
45 g (1 1/2 oz.) raisins
grated rind of half a lemon
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsps. coffee essence or 1 tbsp. of instant coffee mixed with 2 tbsps. of boiling water
115 g or 3 3/4 oz. of sweet butter, at room temperature
180 g (5 3/4 oz.) soft light brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
240 g. (7 1/2 oz.) self-raising flour
Toffee Sauce
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
60 g. (2 oz.) sweet butter
150 g. (5 oz.) Demerara sugar
150 mL (5 fl oz) thick (double) cream
Brush 10 175 mL (5 3/4 fl oz.) pudding moulds or ramekins with melted butter and chill before brushing again, then dust with flour and tap out excess. Preheat oven to moderate 180 degrees C (350 F/Gas 4)
Place the dates, raisins and lemon rind in a bowl, sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and coffee essence, pour on 300 mL (10 fl oz. of boiling water and set aside to soak for 1 hour.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and, using a wooden spoon or electric beaters, beat until light and creamy. Add the beaten eggs, in 6 additions, beating well between each addition. Sieve the flour and a pinch of salt onto the mixture and fold in using a large spoon or plastic spatula. Add the date and raisin mixture with its liquid and stir gently to produce a loose batter.
Spoon the mixture into the moulds to 3/4 full. Make a slight hollow in the centre of the mixture and bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until springy to the touch.
To make the toffee sauce, scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and add the pod, butter, sugar and cream and stir for 3 minutes to dissolve the sugar, then simmer over low-medium heat, without stirring, until smooth and golden brown. Remove and discard the vanilla pod, set the sauce aside and keep warm.
When the puddings are cooked, allow to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out. Serve warm with the toffee sauce and whipped cream.
Chef’s tip: If 10 puddings are too many, you could either halve the recipe or freeze the extra puddings. When you are ready to use the frozen puddings, defrost, then wrap in foil and reheat in a moderate 180 degrees C (350 F/Gas 4) oven for about 20 minutes.