Sticky Toffee Pudding: Warm Date Sponge with Butterscotch Sauce for Cozy Fall Weekends

Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Put the chopped dates in a bowl, pour over the boiling water, stir in the baking soda and let stand 10 minutes to soften.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) pitted Medjool dates, chopped
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• For the sauce: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
• Vanilla ice cream or clotted cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Put the chopped dates in a bowl, pour over the boiling water, stir in the baking soda and let stand 10 minutes to soften.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and fold into the batter until just combined.
4. Mash the date mixture roughly with a fork, then fold it, water and all, into the batter. The batter will be loose.
5. Pour into the dish and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the top springs back.
6. While it bakes, make the sauce: melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cream and flaky salt and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
7. Poke the warm pudding all over with a skewer and pour about a third of the sauce over the top, letting it soak in for 10 minutes.
8. Cut into squares and serve warm with the remaining sauce and a scoop of ice cream. The pudding keeps for 3 days and reheats beautifully in the microwave with a spoonful of sauce.
9. Sticky toffee pudding is a modern British classic, popularised in the 1970s at the Sharrow Bay hotel in England's Lake District, though its roots reach back to wartime date puddings. Dark, moist and drenched in butterscotch, it has become the dessert of choice for pub Sunday lunches once the nights draw in.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 560 kcal
• Protein: 5g
• Fat: 27g
• Carbohydrates: 78g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 60g
• Sodium: 380mg