Darjeeling Sticky Toffee Pudding

Growing up in the 80s, sticky toffee pudding was just there. It turned up after Sunday lunch, at birthdays, and on cold weeknights when Mum decided we’d earned it. She made it in the same battered square tin every time, and the argument was always over who got a corner.

This is that pudding, with one small change: the dates simmer in Darjeeling rather than plain water. It sounds like a gimmick, but the tea’s tannin cuts through all that sugar and stops it tasting flat. By my reckoning, it also makes it about 32% more British.

The thing I won’t budge on is the sugar. A lot of recipes use soft brown sugar in the sponge, and it’s simply not dark enough. You want dark muscovado, with its deep, slightly bitter molasses flavour. That’s what sticky toffee pudding is supposed to taste like. Get that right, soak the sponge properly, and you’ve got the pudding I grew up on.

What makes the difference

• Sugar: Use dark muscovado for the sponge. Lighter brown sugars lose the molasses depth that makes this taste like the real thing.
• Dates: Buy the plumpest Medjools you can find. Pitted ones save a fiddly job. Chop them small so they soften quickly in the tea.
• Tea: I use Darjeeling because breakfast tea can turn bitter. Always take the bags out before the bicarb goes in, as alkaline water dulls the flavour and turns it murky.
• If you like bits of date: Purée half the dates until smooth and only roughly break down the other half, then mix them together. You get soft little pockets of date through the sponge.
• The edges: The demerara in the tin gives you chewy, caramelised edges. Be generous with the butter underneath it, because that same sugar is what glues a pudding to its tin.

Serves 6 | Prep 30 mins | Cook 35 mins | Total 1 hr 20 mins (including 15 mins soaking and resting)

Ingredients

For the tin

• 10g (2 tsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp demerara (turbinado) sugar (optional)

For the date purée

• 2 Darjeeling tea bags
• 300ml (1¼ cups) freshly boiled water
• 200g (7oz) pitted Medjool dates, finely chopped
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the sponge

• 85g (3oz / ¾ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 115g (½ cup packed) dark muscovado sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp black treacle (molasses)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 75ml (⅓ cup) milk
• 175g (1⅓ cups) self-raising flour (self-rising flour)

For the toffee sauce

• 300ml (1¼ cups) double cream (heavy cream)
• 115g (4oz / 1 stick) unsalted butter
• 150g (⅔ cup packed) light muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• ¼ tsp sea salt flakes, plus more to taste

To serve

• Vanilla ice cream (or crème fraîche, clotted cream or custard)

Method

Step 1: Prepare the oven and tin

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / gas mark 4.
2. Rub the butter generously over the base and sides of a 20cm (8in) square tin or ovenproof dish, about 5cm (2in) deep.
3. For crisp, caramelised edges, sprinkle in the demerara sugar.

Step 2: Make the date purée

1. Bring the water to a low simmer on the hob. Turn off the heat, then add the tea bags and steep for 4 minutes.
2. Lift out the tea bags, squeezing them gently.
3. Add the dates to the saucepan, leaving room for foaming later, and pour over the tea.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the dates are very soft.
5. Take the pan off the heat and blitz with a stick blender until smooth; a few small lumps are fine. If you intentionally want to have some extra lumps in there, only blend halfway
6. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. It will foam up, which is normal. Leave to cool slightly while you make the batter.

Step 3: Make the sponge batter

1. Beat the butter and dark muscovado sugar with an electric whisk for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Mix in the golden syrup, black treacle and vanilla until smooth.
4. Stir in the cooled date purée and the milk.
5. Fold in the flour until just combined. The batter will look far too runny; that’s exactly right.

Step 4: Bake the sponge

1. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
2. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Step 5: Make the toffee sauce

1. While the sponge bakes, warm the cream in a small pan until steaming, then set aside.
2. Melt the butter and light muscovado sugar together in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until combined.
3. Add the golden syrup and black treacle and bubble for 2-3 minutes, until glossy.
4. Pour in the warm cream in two batches, stirring between each.
5. Simmer gently for 5 - 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Don’t let it boil hard.
6. Stir in the salt, then taste and add more if you like.

Step 6: Soak, finish and serve

1. As soon as the sponge comes out of the oven, poke holes all over it with a skewer, going right to the bottom.
2. Pour over about a third of the sauce and leave for 5 minutes to soak in.
3. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, until bubbling at the edges.
4. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into 6 squares.
5. Gently reheat the remaining sauce.
6. Spoon the sauce over each portion, make a small dip in the top and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or crème fraîche, clotted cream or custard.

Make ahead and leftovers: You can bake the sponge a day ahead. Cool it, cover it and keep it in the fridge, with the sauce in a separate container. When you’re ready, pour over a third of the sauce and reheat at 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / gas mark 4 for 15-20 minutes, until bubbling. Warm the rest of the sauce in a pan. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Worth the fuss

Sticky toffee pudding isn’t complicated. It’s dark sugar, soft dates and a sauce you can’t really overdo, and the trick is not holding back on any of them. As far as I’m concerned, vanilla ice cream is the only proper topping. One of you swears by crème fraîche, though, and I’m quietly curious about custard. Tell me your favourite in the comments.

Russell