Chocolate & Tamarind Sticky Toffee Pudding
This recipe is a classic: it came from an ancient book on one of our Mums’ bookshelf. I wish I could remember the name of the book, which inevitably and tragically fell apart after years of thumbing, but someone had the foresight to take a snap of the most beloved recipes… this being one of them. Because we’re, well, us, we couldn’t resist pimping it a little with a couple of our favourite flavours. Chocolate because chocolate, and tamarind because the sour & tang elevates the old school classic into a modern one. The recipe is almost word for word from the book in question, but with our additions.
150g Dark Muscovado
90g Salted Butter
125g Stoned Dates
180ml Boiling Water
Three quarters of a teaspoon Bicarb
3tbsp Cocoa
100g dark chocolate chips
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
180g SR Flour
2 Eggs (beaten)
A good pinch of Maldon Salt
Sauce - this will make way more than you need but do it because it’s DELICIOUS and will last in your fridge for a millennia)
375g Salted Butter
540g Dark Brown Sugar
540ml Double Cream
1 jar Tamarind Paste - Sainsbury’s or Waitrose is ideal, nothing fancier or more authentic is required, although by all means do if you want. Get it here
Fire up your oven to 200C.
Cream together the butter and sugar until super soft & pale — sift in the cocoa & mix well. Soak the dates in the hot water until soft, then drain and finely chop (but reserve the water). Mix the date water, vanilla & bicarb together and set to one side.
Slowly add this mixture to the creamed butter, sugar & cocoa mixture, a little at a time. Using the same method, add the egg a little at a time (we find an electric handwhisk is the best for this but each to their own) and finally fold in the sifted self raising flour & chocolate chips. Don’t worry — it’ll be pretty runny at this point but that’s all part of the magic.
Pour the mix EITHER into a well buttered & lined roasting tin (for a big sharer of a pud) or into individual dariole moulds (well greased with butter and with a paper circle in the base for ease of popping out). This sponge will rise a LOT so when you’re filling the tin or mould, allow for a 1.5-2cm rise. For a larger pudding, bake for 20-25 minutes, for the smaller, cook for 10-15 minutes but test frequently with a skewer in the same way as you’d test a cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Easy as that. When they’re cooked, let them sit for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack. You can freeze it at this point, or allow to cool and reheat in the microwave (lazy, but effective. No judgement.).
For the sauce: mix together all ingredients, then on a pan bring to the boil for around 30 seconds.
Load your bowl with the hot sponge, slather over the sauce and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or buttermilk ice cream, if you’re feeling fancy).