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Hey! What’s for Pud?!

Date: Apr. 23rd 2006
Category: Dessert and Pastry
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You may be wondering what that oozy, creamy blob is pictured above? It’s sticky toffee pudding and it’s an oozy, creamy dish of yumminess that never fails to make Cream Puff feel good!

Being Canadian, I have always had a certain affinity for all things English. Canada, you see, was once an English colony. In fact, in Canada, the British Monarch is still recognized as the Head of State and is represented by the Governor General. So when Sam of Becks & Posh and Monkey Gland of Jam Faced announced that they would be hosting an event to commemorate St. George’s Day … well … how could I resist?

Without question, I knew I would make sticky toffee pudding. From the first time I made this dessert, I was hooked. It combines so many of my favourite things: dates, muscovado sugar, butter … and table cream.

While researching the history of sticky toffee pudding, I did come across some vague references to Scottish desserts. I, however, have decided that this is a truly English dessert. So shall it be written so shall it be done! The basis for this decision comes from the information I gleaned from the mighty Wikipedia which explained that sticky toffee pudding may have initially been called "icky sticky toffee pudding". Why, I have no idea, as there is nothing icky about it!

There are a couple of versions of how this dessert originated. One is that it was created in 1960 by a hotel owner named Francis Coulson who served the dessert at a hotel he owned located near the Scottish border (could possibly explain references to this being a Scottish dessert). The other version is that the pudding was created in 1907 by the landlady of an inn in Millington. Either way, I’m grateful for the dessert’s invention.

My sticky toffee pudding is based on the version in Nigella Lawson’s Nigella Bites. Now I know people have mixed feelings about Nigella and the role she has taken in representing British food. Some people like her and some people don’t. I have to admit I am a Nigella fan. When it comes to food personalities, especially those on television, I always judge them on the success of their recipes when I try them at home. In Nigella’s case, I must give credit where credit is due. Every recipe that I’ve tried from her books has turned out well. Her recipes are easy to follow and they work. I can’t argue with that!

Plus, I am endlessly fascinated by the way she stuffs food into her mouth. I know, I know. I’m falling victim to unadulterated television manipulation but I don’t care. She’s transfixing. Like the episode of Nigella Bites where she bakes a Yorkshire pudding and then promptly cuts a piece for herself, drowns it in cream and syrup and then gorges on it, all before serving her guests.

I like to use Medjool dates in my version of this pudding. Quite simply, they are heaven with a pit in the middle. Fortunately the pit comes out very easily! If you have any dates left over, stuff them with mascarpone or cream cheese for a treat. This dessert is very easy to pull together. You mix it in one bowl and into the baking dish it goes. It belongs to the family of "self-saucing puddings" which means that by some scientific miracle, during baking, a spongy cake rises to the top and a sinfully rich sauce forms at the bottom. I have no idea how it happens. And to be honest I don’t much care. As long as I get my spongy cake and rich sauce, I’m a satisfied Cream Puff!

So Happy St. George’s Day to all! Pour yourselves a pint, have some fish and chips and enjoy some sticky toffee pudding.

God Save the Queen!

Ciao!

Easy Sticky-Toffee Pudding

Adapted from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson.

For the cake:

100 g (3-1/2 ounces) dark muscovado sugar
175 g (6 ounces) self-raising flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
50 g (about 2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
200 g (7 oz) chopped dates (I used Medjool dates)

For the sauce:

200 g (1 cup) dark muscovado sugar
approximately 25 g (about 1 ounce) unsalted butter (to top the pudding), broken into little pieces
500 ml (2 cups) boiling water

To assemble the pudding:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C, or if you’re British, gas mark 5).
Generously butter a baking dish that has a capacity of 1-1/2 litres.
In a bowl, combine the muscovado sugar and the flour. Make sure there are no lumps!
Pour the milk into a measuring cup and beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter. Mix well.
Pour the milk mixture into the sugar and flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Fold in the dates.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish. This doesn’t make a lot of batter but don’t worry, it will rise to fill your baking dish.
Sprinkle the 200 g (1 cup) of muscovado sugar over the top of the batter. Dot with the 25 g of butter.
Pour the boiling water over everything. Yes … I know … it sounds strange but trust me … it works!
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake is springy when touched.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. When you cut into it, you will have a lovely sponge cake on top and the most delicious sauce on the bottom.
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or do as I do and just pour lovely table cream over the whole thing.
Enjoy!

Note: This recipe serves 6-8 people. It can be doubled to feed a crowd.

Technorati tags: What’s For Pud?, St George’s Day

44 Comments

sam

04/23/06 at 1:29 pm

ummmmm….. licking lips…

Greg

04/23/06 at 1:31 pm

I think I’m gaining weight just looking at and reading your blog

faith

04/23/06 at 1:50 pm

OK, now that looks really good. I too acknowledge that the words “sticky toffee pudding,” while unknown and unexperienced, have never failed to give me a visceral thrill when I have come across them in my vast extent of Anglophile reading. Thanks for instantiating the invisible. Dee-licious.

Catherine

04/23/06 at 2:07 pm

Yummy! That looks awfully good.

wandering coyote

04/23/06 at 2:36 pm

Oh my God - thank you so much for this.

A British-blooded gal myself, I cannot help but drool over this. Whenever I visit England (my mom lives there) I have this as often as I realisitically can tolerate. And in Devon, where my mom lives, it’s always served with huge glob of clotted cream. It’s so sinful it’s not funny. I’ve never made this before, and I’m not sure why…other than it’ll be hard to beat what I’ve had in the past and I don’t have easy access to clotted cream (which I know is not completely necessary). Also, my mom did send me a recipe for it once, but I was afraid it wouldn’t work because not all recipes translate well from one continent to another.
I’ll have to copy this one down because I actually don’t have a recipe for it. I lost the one my mom sent me.

ramya

04/23/06 at 3:09 pm

Hi Ivonne,
Very mouth watering recipe.
My english is not the main
but recipe is no main.I mean free to try.Isn’t it so.

kalyn

04/23/06 at 4:09 pm

OMY, this looks so delicious.

kalyn

04/23/06 at 4:10 pm

Oops, that was supposed to say OMG. I bet you thought I had invented a new blog acronym.

kalyn

04/23/06 at 4:10 pm

Oops, that was supposed to say OMG. I bet you thought I had invented a new blog acronym.

Ivonne

04/23/06 at 4:12 pm

Hi Sam,

Thanks for hosting the event!

Hi Greg,

You’re sweet. Thanks for the kind words.

Hi Catherine,

Thanks so much. I enjoyed every bite.

Hi Faith,

Why thank you my dear! And thanks for stopping by.

Hi Wandering Coyote,

I had no idea that your mom lived in England and that you visited often! Lucky you!

I’m very jealous … and by the way clotted cream would be divine with this pudding.

Hi Ramya,

I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for visiting.

Hi Kalyn,

Thanks! And thanks for stopping by!

rob

04/23/06 at 4:19 pm

Ivonne, great minds think alike. We also made sticky toffee pudding for this event.

I’d never tried it before, but it really is wonderful, isn’t it?

I also agree wholeheartedly about Nigella. Like her or not, her recipes turn out well, and isn’t that ultimately the bottom line with any cookbook?

rachel

04/23/06 at 4:47 pm

I love how this looks — much more like my idea of sticky toffee pudding than the one we made, although that was delicious. I will have to try this version next.
And I completely agree with you about the Medjool dates! Regan Daley has a rice pudding recipe that uses arborio rice, orange blossom water, and dates, and it is luscious. I’ll eat Medjools as is, too.
Great post!

Bron

04/23/06 at 5:10 pm

Oh yum Ivonne! I love Sticky Toffee Pudding, we call it Sticky DATE Pudding here in New Zealand.
Naturally we are also part of the Commonwealth, hence we indulge in plenty of English puds too…yum yum!

sam

04/23/06 at 6:55 pm

Aren’t homey desserts wonderful! They are simple, rewarding and gratifying. Good job Ivonne.

Bea at La Tartine Gourmande

04/23/06 at 7:18 pm

Yes both you and Rob and Rachel were on the same wave of length! I have never had it before but now with the 2 of you, I am convinced I have to try!

Nazca

04/23/06 at 7:37 pm

If it wasn’t for google you’d never know it was St Georges day, and I’m in Manchester, UK. Our patron saint never set foot in England so they say… anyway… I digress.

Lovely pic. Bet it tasted sweet… but not as sweet as Nigella

Cindy

04/23/06 at 9:38 pm

Humm I love sticky toffee pudding ! Looks so yummy and taste yummy too.

Christiane

04/23/06 at 9:54 pm

Wow, that looks tasty! I bet it’s fantastic!

Danielle

04/23/06 at 10:09 pm

Must resist urge.. to make awful joke…. can’t resist.

I want nothing more than to eat your sticky toffee pudding whilst closing my eyes and thinking of England.

Cin

04/23/06 at 10:37 pm

Bron beat me to it but we also call it Sticky Date Pudding in Oz. Looks delish, esp as I haven’t had one in YEARS!

linda

04/23/06 at 11:43 pm

Absolutely lovely! And I’m definitely trying this recipe!

rowena

04/24/06 at 12:52 am

Okay I just have to air this out because your post is probably the 6th or 7th PUD entry that I’ve read so far. Thank you Sam and Monkey Gland.

Anyway, the thing that has me suppressing giggles is that the word PUD carries sexual connotations along with it. Can’t help it! Having worked with sex-starved male restaurant workers for most of my life has left me with a disdain for that 3-letter word. Ugh!!

However, by no means am I disrespecting your scrumptious image of sticky toffee pudding. Oh heavens!

Nigella Lawson, in my book, is fabulous. If a voluptuous gal can make cooking so effortlessly SEXY, how could anyone not like her? She kicks Rachel Ray’s and Giada De Laurentiis bums put together!

Ivonne

04/24/06 at 9:18 am

Hi Rob and Rachel!

My favourite husband/wife team in blog world. Thank you for the kind words. This is the best sticky toffee pudding recipe I’ve tried and yes … Medjool dates rule!

Hi Bron,

I love dates! Love them. And there are benefits to being a Commonwealth member. Especially when it comes to desserts and yummy things!

Hi Sam,

I couldn’t agree more!

Hi Bea!

Yes … YOU MUST MAKE THE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING!

Hi Nazca,

It’s funny because I’d read that St. George’s Day is no longer widely celebrated. Interesting. But hey we can always use another occasion to make dessert!

Hi Cindy,

Merci!

Hi Christiane,

Thanks for stopping by. If you love dates this is a great dessert to try!

Ivonne

04/24/06 at 9:25 am

Hi Danielle,

You are too funny! I’m so glad that you did make the “joke”. I wanted to make it myself in my post but chickened out.

Hi Cin,

I love dates and you must have a pudding as soon as possible.

Hi Linda,

Try the pudding. It’s delicious!

Hi Rowena,

What a great event, eh! And you know I had a strange feeling about the word PUD … glad to see I wasn’t wrong.

And I agree with you completely about Nigella. She’s hot!

Jen

04/24/06 at 11:37 am

Looks lovely as always Ivonne! Now I know what I’m going to make when I get some more dates. Thanks for the recipe!

wandering coyote

04/24/06 at 12:03 pm

Ivonne: In response to the comment left a few posts below, here is the link to Real Lemon Pie.

http://retorte.blogspot.com/2005/09/real-lemon-pie.html

verniciousknids

04/24/06 at 12:07 pm

Aren’t self-saucing puddings magical…they never fail to amaze me I have such a craving now!

Ivonne

04/24/06 at 2:17 pm

Hi Jen,

Enjoy! It’s a great recipe.

Hi Wandering Coyote!

Thanks for the link!

Hi VK,

You’re not kidding. They are magical!

Paz

04/24/06 at 3:22 pm

Wow! What a dessert! Happy St. George’s Day to you, too!

Best,
Paz

hoppman

04/24/06 at 3:47 pm

Mmm, long time since I had a “sticky toffee”… yummy

Bruno

04/24/06 at 6:56 pm

Delicious looking dessert Ivonne!! I love your idea of adding Medjool dates… bet it makes it extra sticky and scrumptious!

Could you tell me please, what is muscovado sugar?

Great blog by the way!!

Bruno

Ange

04/24/06 at 7:22 pm

I love this pudding which reminds me I havent made it in ages, will have to whip it up again now that Winter has almost hit & the cold is definitely here already!

Julie

04/24/06 at 10:22 pm

Ivonne, this looks absolutely gorgeous. I’ve never made a sticky toffee pud, but after your description and pictures, I’m definitely going to give it a whirl!

Kieran

04/25/06 at 4:38 am

Lovely site, and great photos. Keep up the good work!

Liza

04/25/06 at 12:24 pm

As weird as it may sound, I don’t think I ever had that dessert before (although I was often tempted). But you convinced me, and I have to MAKE one soon ! Yours looks truly delicious…

GastroChick

04/25/06 at 1:42 pm

People don’t like Nigella? Impossible she is my ultimate food hero!

Scrummy pudding BTW

Janice

04/25/06 at 4:08 pm

I’m with you Ivonne - I like Nigella, too. This recipe looks scrumptious — a great one to make with the grandkids. Thanks for posting!

Ivonne

04/25/06 at 6:27 pm

Hi Paz,

Same to you!

Hi Hoppman,

Glad you like it … and thanks for stopping by!

Hi Bruno,

Many thanks.

I’ll e-mail you about the muscovado sugar!

Hi Ange,

Oh! I’m so sorry winter is starting for you when it’s just ended for us! Hope the sticky toffee pudding makes it better!

Hi Julie,

Please do! It’s worth it!

Hi Kieran,

Thanks so much and thanks for stopping by!

Hi Liza,

You’re so sweet. Thanks!

Hi GastroChick,

I know I’m as shocked as you are. I think she’s wonderful and her recipes really work.

Hi Janice,

Thanks for stopping by, my friend. I bet the grandkids love it!

Pamela

04/26/06 at 3:40 am

Hi Ivonne,

That looks sooooo good!!!!

Keep those fine recipes coming !!

:o)

Molly

04/26/06 at 6:20 pm

Ivonne, that is one gorgeous, gooey mess! And I heartily agree with your hilarious accessment of Nigella Lawson - she’s my favorite guilty pleasure. Mmm, time for sticky toffee pudding…

Ivonne

04/26/06 at 8:06 pm

Hi Pamela,

You’re so sweet! Thanks!

Hi Molly,

Thanks for stopping by. I will always have time the divine Ms. Nigella!

Cheers!

Anne

04/27/06 at 4:52 am

Ivonne, you do nothing for those of us on a diet! I mean that *d* word just goes right out the window everytime I come on your blog… *sigh* … Maybe I can run off the calories… I l*o*v*e anything made with dates… OK, well if you’re looking for salads, that’d be my blog, n’est-ce pas!! *lol*

Ivonne

04/28/06 at 10:27 am

Hi Anne,

Salad and dessert … salad and dessert … salad and dessert. Say it with me!

:o)

Diana

02/4/07 at 4:00 pm

Making Sticky Toffee Pudding was my reward for making it through a cople difficult weeks. Yesterday I was finally able to make Sticky Toffee Pudding. Since the recipe could be doubled and I have 47% more Medjool dates that the recipe called for, I increased the recipe by 47%! This was the first time I worked with weighing the ingredients (with a triple-beam balance gram scale). It worked beautifully and I had 47% extra to share. Next time I’m going to make it with dried apricots, Michigan dried cherries, crystalized ginger and pecans. I think it needs pecans!

Thank you so much for sharing so many treats on your blog!

Best Wishes,
Diana G., a fan from Michigan, USA

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