The cosiest sticky toffee pudding and hot toffee sauce recipe

Lucy Lord's cookbook Cook for the Soul is all about delicious comfort and this recipe ticks all the boxes.

"My all-time favourite dessert has to be sticky toffee pudding," she says. "If it's on the menu, I'll always make room.

A soft, lightly spiced sponge studded with dates and enough warm toffee sauce to sink a ship. Rich and indulgent, it's just the ultimate comfort food."

Agreed! There's not much better than a sticky toffee pudding on a cold winter's night.

Recipe:

Ingredients
180g dates, pitted and roughly chopped
160ml boiling water
220g self-raising flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
80g butter softened
160g brown sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
3TBSP black treacle
2 large eggs
100ml milk

For the sauce:
120g butter
240g brown sugar
200ml double cream
1 TBSP black treacle
A pinch of salt

Plus, your favourite vanilla or toffee ice cream to serve

Method:

1. First, put the dates in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 minutes to soften. Use the back of a fork to mash together roughly.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan and grease and line a 20cm ovenproof dish with butter.
3. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together into a large bowl. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and treacle and beat again to mix. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating between.
5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
6. Add the milk and mashed date mixture, gradually, stirring until everything is mixed in; it will be a thin mixture but this is what we're looking for!
7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
8. For the sauce, add all the ingredients to a large saucepan over medium heat until melted together. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for a few minutes, stirring often, until thickened.
9. Remove the baked sticky toffee pudding and leave to cool slightly, then use a skewer to prick holes all over the sponge and pour over most of the toffee sauce, keeping some in a jug for people to help themselves to!
10. Enjoy!

This article was first published in the NZ Herald, Eat Well and is republished here with permission.