Make-ahead Sticky Toffee Pudding

Instructions

1. Remove the butter from the fridge, to soften. Preheat the oven to 180C. First remove the stone from the dates and and finely chop. Place in a bowl and cover with 100ml of boiling water. Stir in the vanilla essence and bicarbonate of soda and set to one side.

2. Now mix together the butter and sugar. You can use a fancy whisker if you have one, but it will work totally fine if you do it by hand with a whisk. I’ll be honest, I got my hands stuck in, which helped soften the butter to melt it together better.

3. Once the butter and sugar is combined, whisk in half the egg (sorry, this is a bit wasteful – if you are cooking just one portion. Take this as a good reason to cook 2 portions!). Then fold in the flour and fold several times. Finally stir in the date mixture and stir everything together well.

4. Grease the ramekins using a little butter and pour the mixture into the ramekins. They shouldn’t be filled all the way to the top to allow for the pudding to expand. Place in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.

5. The Sauce Next make the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together. Place on a medium high heat and stir regularly, until everything has combined fully and the sugar has dissolved.

6. Tip the pudding out of the ramekin (use a knife gently around the edges if it is sticking slightly). Pour over the sauce and enjoy! It’s extra special served with a dollop of ice cream on the top – yum!