Sunday 4 November 2012

Sticky Toffee (Pudding) goodness!

Friday was showing promise for a great weekend. On my lunch hour I saw a beautiful rainbow and I couldn't wait for the weekend to start!

After spending the Saturday shopping, then having dinner in London and watching the Jersey Boys (which was great by the way!), we decided that we were going to stay in on Sunday to take it easy.

But with almost no food left after the week, we decided to attempt a short journey to Waitrose for a spot of shopping. No gloves, a summer scarf, black leggings, a sweater and a thin jacket....cycling has never been a worse idea. We got back slightly frozen but a nice cup of tea warmed us up.

I fancied making something this weekend which had warmth and a slightly different flavour than vanilla or chocolate. I decided to make sticky toffee pudding, it's an old English favourite pudding of mine but all too often it's dry when you order them in pubs. Even when it's drenched in toffee sauce!
I searched the web and I decided to go for a straight forward recipe from the BBC. I halved the recipe in order to stop myself from being greedy...
Dates is something we ate often when I was still at home, so this pudding also brings back childhood memories.

Ingredients
100g dried dates, stoned
125ml black tea (not too strong, I used Lady Grey)
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
42.5g unsalted butter , softened
87.5g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp mixed spice
87.5g golden caster sugar
1 eggs , beaten
The zest of half an orange (my addition, make it a whole orange if you are not halving this recipe)
30g of chopped walnuts (my addition, make it 60g if you are not halving this recipe)

Toffee sauce
100g light muscovado sugar
100g unsalted butter
142ml carton double cream

I used little loaf cases for this recipe but a brownie tin is what the recipe calls for.

1.Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the dates and tea in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the dates. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.

2. Beat the butter and caster sugar together with electric beaters until pale and creamy, then beat in the egg, flour and mixed spice. Fold in the date mixture and pour into a buttered ovenproof dish or brownie tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is just firm to touch.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce by putting the sugar, butter and cream in a pan over a low heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Cook until the sauce is a lovely toffee colour.
My boyfriend's brother and his fiance bought me these cute cases with different patterns.
Finally got the chance to put them to use! Thanks guys, x!















I served them up with the homemade toffee sauce and runny cream. They were delicious and very moreish! We put the rest into the freezer to avoid late night snacking!


In Sweden it was Alla Helgons Dag on Saturday, as my sister kindly reminded me, and she also sent me a picture of her lovely "fika" bord. I am very impressed by the pumpkin carving action!

Prinsess tårta comes in all shapes and forms, that's
how much we Swedes like it!

Hope you have lovely week! Ciao! x
 
 

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