Sticky Toffee Pudding is ogasmic....

This is the Sticky Toffee Pudding that I made

The first time I had Sticky Toffee Pudding was at a wedding dinner in Arbroath, Scotland. I knew that it was a traditional dessert there and wanted to try it. I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what was in it. After researching several recipes I found out, that while some of the ingredient vary, there is one constant; dates.

This is the sticky Toffee Pudding served in Scotland

Below is a the recipe I settled on. It is one of Martha Stewart's.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 8 ounces pitted dates, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan; set aside.

2.     In a small bowl, combine dates and 1/2 cup boiling water; set aside to soften, at least 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to combine; set aside.

3.     With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add date mixture, flour mixture, and vanilla; mix just until moistened.

4.     Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare toffee sauce.

5.     Remove cake from oven; cool in pan 5 minutes. To ensure it will come out easily later, carefully invert hot cake then return it, right side up, to pan. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over cake. Pour about 1 cup warm sauce over cake; let absorb at least 20 minutes.

  

Toffee Sauce

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.     In a medium saucepan, combine butter, heavy cream, light-brown sugar, and salt. Heat over low, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Simmer mixture over medium heat until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 8 to 12 minutes. If desired, reheat sauce over low before serving.

Let me tell you, this toffee sauce is wonderful. Use it liberally when pouring it over the cake after poking holes in it. 

I served the sticky toffee pudding with freshly whipped cream.

Traveling to Scotland was so much fun. Having this wonderful dessert was just the icing on the cake. 

The young couple's wedding was romantic, made splendid by a beautiful bride and a handsome groom, an 11th century chapel, bagpipes, kilts and sunset somewhere around midnight. Almost three years have past since the wedding, the stunning couple moved to Austraila and the really new news is  the addition of a son due in March. Can't wait. 

Just a quick note. Obviously Sticky Toffee Pudding stuck, because it is at the top of my taste bud memories. A testament to how delicious this dessert is.

Daily Quote: “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”........John Lennon