Apple & Ginger Sticky Toffee Pudding

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Mildreds_StickyToffeePudding - 468Moist, sweet, classic and straightforward to make, this is guaranteed to be a bonfire night crowd pleaser, especially if you have any gluten-intolerant guests.

This pudding works particularly well with gluten-free flour, though you’ll get exactly the same results with regular self-raising flour if you don’t have anyof the gluten-free stuff to hand. If you like a straightforward sticky toffee pudding, simply omit the ginger and apples.

Serves: 8-12

What You’ll Need:

  • 300g (10oz) dates
  • 300ml ( ½  pint) boiling water
  • 4 crisp dessert apples such as Cox’s,
  • peeled and cored
  • 2–3 stem ginger pieces in syrup
  • 60g (2 ½ oz) butter
  • 250g (8oz) dark muscovado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs
  • 300g (10oz) gluten-free self-raising
  • flour or regular self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • whipped cream, to serve

­For the toffee sauce

  • 120g (4oz) butter
  • 300g (10oz) dark muscovado sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon stem ginger syrup
  • ½  teaspoon lemon juice
  • 400ml (14fl oz) double cream

What To Do:

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/Gas Mark 5 and line a 30 x
  • 22-cm (12 x 9-inch) ovenproof dish with baking parchment. Put the dates in a bowl, cover with the boiling water and leave to soak.
  • For the toffee sauce, put all the ingredients except the cream into a saucepan and gently simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is a deep caramel colour. Stir in the cream and cook for a further minute then take off the heat.
  • Cover the base of the prepared tin with a thin layer of the sauce.
  • Cut two of the apples into thin rounds and use these to cover the base of the dish. Drizzle over a little more toffee sauce and set aside the remainder (you should have about half left). Roughly chop the remaining apples, tip into a food processor and pulse to small pieces.
  • Remove and set aside. Put the dates and water in the processor with the stem ginger and blend into chunky pieces.
  • Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then fold in the date mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, ground ginger and apple pieces. Fold the egg and date mixture into the dry mix and pour into the dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until evenly risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool­­­ for 5–10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, warm the remaining toffee sauce in the microwave or a small saucepan over a low heat. Turn the pudding out and serve with the warmed toffee sauce and whipped cream.

Mildreds: The Vegetarian Cookbook by Mildreds, Photography by Jonathan Gregson, Published by Mitchell Beazley, £25, www.octopusbooks.co.uk 

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