STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

250g whole dates, pitted and chopped

175g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

60g soft butter

125g dark muscovado sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon black treacle

100ml milk

For the Sauce:

250g muscovado sugar

75g butter, diced

400ml whipping or double cream

1. Start the pudding the day before serving. Put the dates in a bowl with 150ml boiling water and soak for about half an hour. Set the oven at 160 degree C. Grease an 18cm square cake tin, line the bottom with non-stick baking parchment and dust the sides with flour.
2. Sift the flour and soda into a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together in another bowl until fluffy and paler in colour. Beat in the eggs a little at a time. Beat in the treacle, then gently fold in the flour and milk using a large metal spoon Take care not to overmix.
3. Lightly mash the soaked dates with a fork then stir them into the pudding mixture. Pour into the cake tin and place in the oven on a backing sheet. Bake for a bout 45 minutes or until the top of the pudding feels springy when gently pressed.
4. Make the sauce. Put the sugar and butter in saucepan with half of the cream. Bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the cream.
5. Remove the pudding from the oven and slowly pour half of the sauce over it. Cool, then cover the tin and leave the pudding to soak in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Keep the rest of the sauce in the covered pan in the fridge.
6. To finish, reheat the pudding in a 140 degree C oven for 20 minutes. Reheat the remaining sauce in the pan on top of the stove. Service the pudding cut n squares with the extra sauce and custard and/or vanilla ice cream.