Sticky Toffee What?

Posted on March 10th, 2009  

Laura returned from a trip to London singing the praises of Sticky
Toffee Pudding. Not being familiar with with British term for steamed
cakes as pudding, I thought it was more of a traditional pudding, as in
butterscotch pudding. When she described that it was served with a small
pitcher of warm toffee sauce on the side, it all seemed a bit too sweet
and gooey for me. I humored Laura with "yum" and "oh yeas", but really I
thought whole thing sounded disgusting.

Laura always has a wonderful New Year's Eve party at her house and I
foolishly suggested that I make that Sticky Toffee Pudding that she had
in London. Honestly I never thought that I would find the recipe, maybe
it was a speciality of the restaurant. I crossed my fingers.

Out shopping together one afternoon Laura picked up a book called
"Puddings". Flipping through the pages guess what she found? I grabbed
the book in disbelief and scanned the recipe. "Dates?" I asked. "Did it
taste like dates?"

"No", she said,"There weren't dates in it." We both read the recipe and
sure enough it was a date cake with a toffee sauce. I was in love. I
couldn't wait to make this recipe. I was counting the minutes until New
Year's Eve.

Needless to say it was a smashing success. I pulled those warm date
studded beauties out of the oven and poured the warm toffee sauce over
them to the "yums. and "oh yeas" sighing in the kitchen. We were all
silent after we ate them, maybe wishing in the New Year,or maybe saying
a silent prayer to the creator of Sticky Toffee Pudding.

I make Sticky Toffee Pudding at the bakery now. They are not served
steaming from the oven. They look more like small cupcake size cakes
with a generous ladle of toffee sauce on the top.

I took the toffee sauce to a fondue party last night. I was in charge of
the chocolate fondue, but I knew there were a few non-chocolate eaters
in the crowd. I put a pot of the toffee fondue out as well. It was
scraped clean with pieces of pound cake, strawberries and sliced golden
delicious apples. There was chocolate fondue left in the other pot.

Tonight I surprised my family with toffee fondue for dessert. I only
provided strawberries to dip, but no one complained.

toffee pudding  Sticky Toffee Pudding/ Toffee Pudding Fondue

* 2 cups of date pieces 
* 1 1/2 cups water 
* 1 teas baking soda 
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter 
* 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 
* 3 eggs 
* 1 teas vanilla
* 1/2 teas salt 
* 1 teas baking powder 
* 2 cups all purpose flour

Heat the water and add the dates and the soda. Let stand 20 minutes

Cream the butter and the brown sugar, add the eggs one at a time and
then the vanilla

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the butter
mixture, Scrape down the bowl and make sure the bottom is incorporated.
Add the date mixture. Mix on medium until incorporated.

Set oven to 350. Put a baking tray bigger than the muffin tin in the
oven. Pour water into the pan to halfway. Grease muffin tines, fill, 3/4
of the way full and put the tin over the water bath. Bake for 35-40
minutes until done. They will feel moist but will spring back to the
touch when done.

Let cool and gently take them out of the tins.Place them on the plate
you will serve them on. Poke them with a skewer and pour the toffee
sauce (recipe follows) over the tops. Served best warm.

fondue Toffee Sauce/Fondue

* 1 cup salted butter melted 
* 3 cups brown sugar 
* 2 cups cream
* pinch salt

Heat the butter and the brown sugar Add the cream and bring to a boil,
turn down the heat and simmer 6-8 minutes.

For the fondue just put it in the pot warm and have some things like
strawberries, sliced apples, and cubes of cake to dip.