Sticky. Toffee. Pudding.

Have you ever heard of sticky toffee pudding? It’s an iconic British dessert that consists of date sponge cake drizzled with toffee sauce. Served warm, it’s ooey, gooey deliciousness! I had never heard of it myself, until I traveled to Ireland in 2013, and enjoyed my first piece ever in a cute café in Dublin, Ireland. And, I’ve been hooked ever since.

Let me give you a bit of the back story on how I discovered sticky toffee pudding. In August of 2013 I went on a tour of Ireland with my daughter, Laura. We flew into Dublin where our tour would start. After a night of travel as we flew across the Atlantic, we were pretty tired when we arrived in Dublin. (Unfortunately, I can barely sleep on planes.) But in our travels together, Laura and I have learned that the best way to quickly adjust to the local time zone is to fight being tired and not give in to the temptation to nap. You have to stay awake by staying busy.

And so off we went, and we boarded a Dublin tour bus to get an overview of the city. We visited two key spots that afternoon, the first being St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This beautiful cathedral is over 800 years old, is the largest cathedral in Ireland, and serves as the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. The building is a busy place that serves as a place of worship, a visitor attraction and as a host for many events. It is believed that St. Patrick baptized people into Christianity at the well outside the cathedral in the 5th century.

We ended our tour bus ride by checking out the Guinness Storehouse, home of the world-famous Guinness beer. It’s now a pretty cool museum of Guinness history and the story of how they make their beer. If you wish, you can work your way through the museum and end at the Gravity Bar on the top floor. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls of this round bar offer you a panoramic view of the city of Dublin, a breathtaking view, and it alone is worth a visit to the top.

Additionally, if you make it up to the bar, a free pint of Guinness is awaiting, included in the tour admission price. I’m not a beer drinker, and after being up well over 24 hours at this point, a pint of beer was really the last thing I needed. But what the heck, it was free. And we’d heard that watching them pour the beer at the tap was fun to do. So, we bellied up to the bar for our free pints and watched the artistry of the pour. It was interesting to watch as the beer is allowed to settle for few seconds when the glass is about 3/4 full and you can see the “cascade and surge” as the head forms on the top. It is a beautiful brown beer in motion, one that you want to “drink in with your eyes.” Which I did. But that’s all I drank; I will admit, I wasted a perfectly grand pint. I tasted it, I took a sip or two, but it’s a very strong beer, and shall we say, not my cup of tea. 😊

(Do you want to watch a Guinness Master Brewer pour a perfect pint? Search Google for a YouTube video on, “How to pour a perfect Guinness pint.” It’s a short, neat little video that demonstrates the technique involved in the perfect pour.)

It started raining as we left the Guinness Storehouse and so we returned to our hotel, Buswells. By now, we were very tired and it was time for dinner. We did not want to not stray far from our hotel and chose Bewley’s Café, just a short walk from Buswells. Bewley’s, in business since 1927, is legendary in Dublin, with beautiful Harry Clarke stained-glass windows. It’s located on Grafton Street, a lively, pedestrian friendly shopping area.

We chose very well for our first dinner in Ireland! What a special place Bewley’s was, great atmosphere and a delicious meal. It did not take us long to decide we wanted to have a very traditional fish and chips. And it did not disappoint! I even loved the cute little yellow covers on the lemon slices. A very good meal followed up by something called sticky toffee pudding. It was new to us, but it sounded good, and so we gave it a try. And as they say, the rest is history!

The sticky toffee pudding was so wonderful I swear I wanted to lick the plate to get every last drop of toffee goodness. As we were in public, I resisted. 😉 But from that moment on I was hooked. And I’ve been on the lookout for sticky toffee pudding (STP) deliciousness ever since.

I had STP one more time on that trip. And when I traveled to Scotland in 2018, I was able to eat it twice again. However, none of these subsequent desserts was as good as the first and left me disappointed. And I wondered why…

Back home, I began a search for a really good recipe for STP. There are a lot of them out there from which to choose. I both googled and searched Pinterest and settled on one from a website called Mel’s Kitchen Café. I’ve used it several times now and love the results. I hope you will as well.

And this recipe contains the secret to what I think makes the difference as to whether STP is good, or really, really, out of this world, good. 😊 What’s that difference? In step 2 of the sauce portion of the recipe, it ends with, “Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of heavy cream; also, optional but terribly delicious.” I read the recipe that first time, and then thought back to all the STPs I’d eaten to that point. The Bewley’s STP was garnished with a side of decorative whipped cream, which quickly dissolved into the warm toffee. All the latter STPs were not drizzled with cream or whipped cream but topped with a scoop of ice cream. Ice cream, which kind of just sat there and cooled down the warm toffee.

That, to me, is the difference-making secret: STP must have heavy cream or whipped cream added versus a lump of cold ice cream. The cream blends with the warm toffee which becomes all the more flavorful and creamier. While the cold ice cream just sits there. The cake is served warm, the toffee sauce is warm, why cool it down with cold ice cream?

The heavy whipping cream is used in the making of the toffee sauce. While I’m working on the sauce, I leave the cream to sit on the counter, bringing it close to room temperature. By the time the sauce is done, the cake is plated, the pecans have been sprinkled, and the sauce poured over the cake, the heavy whipping cream is ready to be drizzled over the whole dessert. I am much more generous with the cream than the recipe calls for though. I don’t measure it, but give it a generous pore, till I’m satisfied there is enough. With that final flourish, the sticky toffee pudding is ready to be served!

Now, if you’re ready, here we go!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

FOR THE CAKE:

6 ounces dates, pitted and finely chopped (about 8-10 Medjool dates)

3/4 cup boiling water

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR THE SAUCE:

3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons or ½ cup) butter

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Pinch of coarse, kosher salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Additional heavy whipping cream for drizzling (optional)

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL DO

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 6 to 8 ramekins (about 6 ounces each) with butter or cooking spray or lightly grease an 8X8 or 9X9-inch pan.

2.) For the cake, in a medium bowl, stir together the dates, boiling water, baking soda and vanilla extract (see note for alternate method). Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.

3.) In a separate medium bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and butter with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until well-combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

4.) Add the eggs and mix.

5.) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.

6.) Fold in the date mixture (no need to drain) until combined; don't overmix.

7.) Fill the ramekins evenly with the batter, about 2/3 full, or spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

8.) Bake the ramekins for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch. (If using a square baking pan, bake for 22-25 minutes. UPDATE: increase baking time as needed, some have needed upwards of 40 minutes.) Don't overbake or the cake may be dry.

9.) Let the cakes cool completely in the pan(s) - although the cake can be served slightly warm also.

1.) For the sauce, combine the sugar, butter, cream, and salt in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth and combined, 5-7 minutes.

2.) If the cake was baked in ramekins, turn out onto individual plates (if baked in a pan, cut the cake into squares). Pour the warm sauce over the individual servings, and sprinkle with pecans, if using; drizzle with a teaspoon or so of heavy cream, also optional but terribly delicious.

NOTES FROM MEL’S KITCHEN CAFÉ:

Make Ahead: the cake(s) can be made ahead, baked and frozen up to a month (or a day ahead of time - cover well overnight). Thaw and lightly warm the cake before serving. The sauce can also be made 1-2 weeks ahead of time and refrigerated. Warm lightly before serving.

NOTE FROM ME, BETH 😊

The first time I made this cake I did not have ramekins and baked it in an 8X8-inch pan. It took forever to bake, and I had to keep putting it back in for more time. As the creator, Mel, mentions above, she has updated her recipe to reflect that when this cake is baked in a square pan it does indeed more time in the oven; upwards of 40 minutes she now states, and I agree.

I made STP for this past New Year’s Eve and decided to try baking it in my oversized muffin tin for the first time. (I did not use cupcake liners, spraying the pan instead with Pam.) I filled all six cups and still had enough leftover for one of the ramekins I now own. I sprayed the ramekin with Pam as well and filled it with the remaining batter. I put the muffin tin and ramekin both on a cookie sheet and popped them in the oven to bake at the same time. They all came out great in the baking time suggested by Mel.

I have to say I really like the way the little mini-cakes look in comparison to pieces cut from a square cake. As I now have a set of six ramekin cups, I will use them in the future to bake my STP skipping both the muffin tin and square pan.

If there are leftovers, I always microwave both the cake and toffee sauce before serving because sticky toffee pudding just tastes better when it’s warm. Enjoy!

STICKY TOFFEE POPCORN?!?!

Yes, I found this recipe in a fall issue of People Magazine. It was around the time of the release of the fourth season of The Crown, and they suggested it as a tasty snack while watching the latest, most tantalizing season of the show yet. I have not tried it yet, but plan to sometime soon. In the meanwhile, I’ll share the recipe with you now. If you try it, let me know what you think of it, OK?

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED

1 cup light brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

¼ cup golden syrup or light corn syrup

½ teaspoon salt

10 cups freshly popped popcorn

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL DO

In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, golden (or light corn) syrup, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until syrup is a deep caramel color, about 4 minutes. Add the popcorn and stir until evenly coated. Spread popcorn on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; let cool 15 minutes before serving.

It seems super simple. I look forward to whipping some up soon. Maybe for the Super Bowl in two weeks?!?!

Just one more bit on the theme of the week. I was lucky enough to find this little gem tucked into my Christmas stocking last month. I guess Santa knows how much I like sticky toffee pudding. And I must have been a good girl! 😉 It was a very tasty treat! An excellent quality chocolate bar. Yum!

You all stay safe out there! Take care.