Classic Vanilla Slice
Classic vanilla slice with crisp pastry and a thick, silky custard centre—an old-school bakery favourite made at home.
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Whisky Sauce
There's nothing quite like a homemade sticky toffee pudding to round off a special meal. This recipe delivers a beautifully light and moist date sponge that soaks up the luscious, buttery toffee sauce, creating a truly comforting and indulgent dessert.
The optional whisky sauce adds a grown-up twist, cutting through the sweetness with its warm, smoky notes. It's surprisingly easy to make from scratch and is guaranteed to impress your family and guests. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of clotted cream for the ultimate treat.
Method
20m40m1h
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease and flour an 8-inch (20cm) square baking tin.
- Place the chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over them, add the bicarbonate of soda, and stir. Set aside for 15-20 minutes to soften.
- In a separate large bowl, cream together the 50g of softened butter and the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Fold in the sifted flour and the vanilla extract. Finally, stir in the soaked date mixture (including the liquid) until everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While the pudding is baking, make the sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 100g of butter and the dark brown sugar together, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Stir in the double cream and the pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the whisky, if using.
- Once the pudding is cooked, remove it from the oven. While it's still warm, poke holes all over the top with a skewer and pour over about half of the toffee sauce. Let it soak in for a few minutes.
- Serve the pudding warm, cut into squares, with the remaining sauce drizzled over the top. It's delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of cream.
Ingredients
- 50g Unsalted butter softened, plus extra for greasing
- 100g Unsalted butter (for sauce)
- 175g Dark brown soft sugar
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 250ml Double cream
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Scotch whisky (optional)
- 175g Self-raising flour sifted
- 150ml Boiling water
- 175g Pitted dates roughly chopped
- 2 Large Eggs beaten
- 150g Caster Sugar
Notes
For a non-alcoholic version, simply omit the whisky from the sauce. It will still be a delicious, rich toffee cream sauce.
The puddings can be made a day ahead. Store them in an airtight container and gently reheat in the microwave or oven before serving with the freshly made sauce.
Make sure your dates are pitted. If you can only find whole dates, be sure to remove the pits before chopping and soaking them.
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