Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has divulged her secret to making a sumptuous sticky toffee pudding that can be whipped up in under an hour.
In her recipe shared with BBC Food, Nigella penned: “My STP is altogether deeper and darker than the original version: it is still sweet, but the muscovado sugar and black treacle give it an almost savage intensity.”
She added: “It seems redolent of ginger, cloves, allspice and yet none of these spices are used. It’s a miracle. I don’t understand it but then, miracles are not to be questioned.”
The dessert is an ideal treat for Christmas gatherings, sure to dazzle any guests. Nigella also suggests that any leftovers, when cut into slabs, resemble a “magnificent sticky gingerbread.”
Nigella Lawson’s sticky toffee pudding
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 200g/7oz soft dried pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 200ml/7fl oz water from a freshly boiled kettle
- One tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 75g/2½oz unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 50g/1¾oz dark muscovado sugar
- Two large free-range eggs, kept at room temperature
- 150g/5½oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
For the sauce
- 150g/5½oz unsalted butter, softened
- 300g/10½oz dark muscovado sugar
- One tbsp black treacle
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream, plus more to serve
Method
Start by preheating your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and lightly greasing a 23x23cm/9x9in square baking dish.
Take the chopped dates, boiling water, and bicarbonate of soda, combine them in a bowl, stir, and set aside for ten minutes.
In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and black treacle until well blended, then mix in the sugar until smooth. Beat in one egg until fully incorporated, then repeat with the second egg. Finally, fold in the flour and baking powder until you have a thick, even batter.
Stir the soaked dates, squishing them a bit, then pour into the batter and gently mix in. Pour this mixture into the greased baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
In the meantime, begin making the sauce by melting the butter, muscovado sugar and treacle over a very low heat in a heavy-based saucepan.
Once the butter has melted, stir gently until everything else is too. Next, stir in the cream and increase the heat until it’s bubbling and hot, then remove from the heat.
After the sponge has been taken out of the oven, prick all over with a cocktail stick and pour about a quarter of the warm sauce over it, spreading to the edges with a spatula so that the sponge is entirely covered with a thick sticky glaze.
Cover the remaining sauce in the pan to keep it warm. Allow the sponge to stand for 20-30 minutes, then slice and serve with the rest of the sauce and some ice cream.