Sticky Toffee Pudding

This is buttery delight!

Serves 6

PUDDING

5 oz. pitted dates (about 1 c.)
1 c. water
³/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. flour
¹/4 tsp. baking powder
¹/4 tsp. ground ginger
¹/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter
¹/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten

Toffee Sauce (see below)
sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375ºF, with rack in center position. Grease and flour a 6" bundt pan or an 8" round pan. Chop dates into Ľ" dice. In a small saucepan, bring dates and water to simmer. Stir in soda, remove from heat and let cool in pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs and incorporate. When date mixture has cooled to lukewarm or cooler, mix one third of date mixture into butter mixture. Add one third of flour mixture to the butter batter until evenly moistened. Repeat alternately adding dates and flour by remaining thirds until batter is blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted into center of pudding comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. (While pudding is baking, prepare toffee sauce and whipped cream.) Remove pudding from oven, cool 5 minutes in pan, then unmold onto serving platter. Reheat toffee sauce until good and hot, then drench the pudding with the hot toffee sauce. Serve at table with a large serving spoon. Pass around additional sauce and whipped cream or ice cream on the side.

TOFFEE SAUCE

¹/2 c. (1 stick) butter
³/4 c. packed brown sugar
¹/2 c. cream
¹/4 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to the simmer. Stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer gently until sauce has thickened or reduced slightly. Remove from heat; reheat right before serving.