By Charlotte Redman
Staff Writer

English sticky toffee pudding is a classic dessert in England. The dessert consists of a moist sponge cake, made with finely chopped dates, covered in toffee sauce. Typically it is served with whipped cream and drizzled with toffee sauce. Sticky toffee pudding is a holiday treat of mine and one of my top-choice desserts!

How to make English sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients:

• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• pitted dates
• baking soda
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• light brown sugar
• a large egg
• vanilla
• heavy cream
• water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch baking dish (square/round)
2. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl
3. Chop the dates fine (Tip: Wet the knife before you chop, they’ll stick less)
4. Boil 1 1/4 cups of water and pour it into the bowl of chopped dates
5. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the date and water mix, stir
6. Use an electric mixer to beat 1/4 cup of unsalted butter and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar together
7. Add 1 egg and  1 teaspoon of vanilla to the mix, continue beating
8. Add the water/date mixture to the batter then mix with a rubber spatula
9. Pour it into the prepared baking dish
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then place on a cooling rack and preheat broiler
11. Make the toffee sauce then spread 1/3 of the sauce over the pudding (scroll down for directions)
12. Place the pudding into the broiler and watch for the top to start bubbling, take it out
13. To serve: drizzle toffee sauce on top and serve with whipped cream

Toffee sauce instructions:

1. Place 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup of packed light brown sugar in a small saucepan
2. Bring it to boiling temperature, stirring continuously
3. Continue boiling it gently at a medium heat for 8 minutes (if mixture doesn’t thicken, don’t worry, it will when it cools)