Serves 6, 30 minutes Preparation , 30 minutes - 1 hour Cooking

What could be more scrumptious than a slice of warming Sticky Toffee Pudding? Drizzled with a sweet butterscotch toffee sauce and a dab of cooling vanilla ice cream, this classic pudding is comfort food at its finest!

Ingredients:

For the Sticky Toffee Pudding:

• 100g Unsalted Butter, softened, and extra for greasing the baking tin
• 100g Plain Flour for lining the baking tin
• 250g Pitted Dried Dates
• 150g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
• 150g Golden Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 large Eggs
• 150ml Boiling Water
• 200g Self-Raising Flour
• Optional: pinch of salt or 50g Mini Fudge Pieces and Vanilla Ice Cream for serving

For the Butterscotch Toffee Sauce:

• 200g Unsalted Butter
• 100g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
• 100g Golden Caster Sugar
• 250ml Double Cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
2. To prepare the Sticky Toffee sponge, slice the Dried and Pitted Dates into 4 pieces, place into a jug of boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes to soften.
3. Whilst the Dates soak, grease a large, deep baking tin with butter and lightly flour each side and base.
4. Beat the softened Butter and the Brown and Golden Caster Sugar until light and creamy, then add the Vanilla extract and Eggs one at a time, stirring as each is added. Gradually sift in the Self-Raising Flour to avoid the mix from curdling.
5. Blend the Dates mixture until thick and smooth, then stir in to the sponge mixture.
6. Pour the mix into the tin, place in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes (use a skewer to check when the sponge is done inside- it should come out clean of mixture).
7. Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin.
8. For the Butterscotch Toffee Sauce, gently melt the Butter and Brown and Golden Caster sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently.
9. Reduce the heat and pour in the Double Cream, stirring slowly until the sauce has turned a rich golden brown and is bubbling gently.
10. When the sauce is ready, slice the Sticky Toffee Pudding and pour the sauce on top.
11. Add a sprinkle of salt for a salted caramel flavour, or top with mini fudge pieces for an extra fun treat.
12. Serve and enjoy with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Delicious!