Phil Vickery's sticky toffee pudding recipe

Phil Vickery's sticky toffee pudding is a classic dessert. This recipe puts a twist on the much-loved cake - and makes it truly delicious. This is the most indulgent dessert you can possibly make - it's made of soft sponge and sticky toffee to make a fab pud that's the best dessert to follow up dinner with. Sticky toffee pudding is comfort food at its finest - you can curl up on the sofa with a bowl of hot sticky toffee pudding, or you can just as easily enjoy it after dinner with friends and family. If you're serving it up to kids, just make sure it's cooled down well enough, as it can get incredibly hot - same goes for adults!

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Ingredients

• 175g (6oz) dates, stoned and chopped
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300ml (½pt) boiling water
• 55g (2oz) butter
• 175g (6oz) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 175g (6oz) self-raising flour
• 1tsp pure vanilla extract

For the sauce:

• 397g can caramel

Method

1. To make this steamed pudding, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Mix the dates and the bicarbonate of soda.
2. Pour the hot water over and leave to soak while you make the batter.
3. Whisk together the butter and the sugar, then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in the flour, and then stir in the date mixture and vanilla. Pour into the prepared tin or ramekins.
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 mins for individual portions or 40-50 mins for the square tin, until cooked (test with a skewer).
6. For the sauce, spoon the caramel into a microwave safe bowl and heat for about 1 min.
7. Cut the pudding into squares for individual servings, and pour over the warm caramel sauce.