Chef Rob Ryan's sticky toffee pudding _320
Ingredients:
For the pudding - 90g butter, softened; 30g plain flour; 200g dried dates, pits removed; 300ml water; 170g dark brown sugar; 1 tbsp golden syrup; 2 tbsp black treacle; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 free-range eggs; 200g self-raising flour; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.
For the sauce - 100ml double cream; 40g butter; 40g dark brown sugar; 2 tbsp black treacle; 1 tbsp golden syrup.
Method:
For the pudding - Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Butter a 12.5cm metal pudding basin really well with a third of the softened butter, then dust with the plain flour.
Place the dates and the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Whisk the remaining butter and the sugar together in a large bowl using an electric beater until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the golden syrup, treacle, vanilla extract and eggs to the mixture and continue beating. Turn the beaters down to a slow speed and add the self-raising flour, a spoon at a time. Beat until all the ingredients are well combined.
Purée the hot water and date mixture in a food processor or blender and add the bicarbonate of soda.
Quickly add this to the mixture in the bowl while it is still hot. Stir to combine and fill the pudding basin with the mixture.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is just firm to the touch.
For the sauce:
Place all the sauce ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
To serve, remove the pudding from the mould and put on a serving plate with lots of the hot sauce on the top.
Serve with ice cream.