Ingredients

• 5 tbsp demerara sugar
• 200g/7oz pitted dates
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• softened
• plus extra for greasing
• 175g/6oz dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 200g/7oz self-raising flour
• 2 free-range eggs
• 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 500ml/18fl oz double cream
• 175g/6oz unsalted butter
• 175g/6oz demerara sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• vanilla ice cream

Directions

• For the sticky toffee pudding
• grease a 1 litre/1¾ pint pudding basin with a little butter. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and tip out any that has not stuck to the basin.
• Put a heatproof plate in the bottom of a large saucepan. Fill the kettle and put it on to boil.
• Place the dates in a pan with 200ml/7fl oz water. Cook for 3-4 minutes
• then transfer to a food processor and blend with the vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
• In a large bowl
• beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar together until smooth.
• Add the golden syrup
• treacle
• flour
• eggs
• bicarbonate of soda and the blended dates. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared basin. Fold a large piece of aluminium foil in half and grease one side with butter. Wrap the pudding in the greased foil
• greased side facing into the pudding. (Pleat the foil a few times as you wrap it to allow room for the pudding to expand.) Secure the foil to the rim of the pudding basin with string.
• Sit the basin on the plate sat inside the prepared saucepan. Place over a low heat and pour boiling water around the basin until it reaches half way up the side. Place a lid on the saucepan and steam the pudding for 2½-3 hours (check occasionally to make sure the water hasn’t completely evaporated – top up with more boiling water if needed).
• For the toffee sauce
• in a pan set over a low heat combine the cream
• butter and sugar. When the butter and sugar have melted
• whisk in the syrup and treacle.
• Remove the pudding from the pan
• discard the foil lid and turn it out onto a plate.
• To serve
• cut a wedge of the pudding
• pour over the toffee sauce and serve with a scoop of ice cream.