recipes for every season

Sticky Toffee Pear Pudding with Hot Custard

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Serves 8 · Medium · 1 hour

Ingredients

200g pitted dates, chopped
250ml boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g softened butter
150g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 ripe pears, peeled and diced

Toffee sauce
100g butter
150g dark brown sugar
200ml double cream
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
Hot vanilla custard, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan and butter a 20cm square tin. Pour boiling water over the dates, add bicarbonate of soda and leave 10 minutes.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour if it splits.
3. Mash the softened dates with their soaking water. Fold them into the batter with the remaining flour, cinnamon and diced pears.
4. Spoon into the tin and bake 30-35 minutes until risen and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs.
5. For the sauce, melt the butter and sugar together. Stir in the cream and simmer 3-4 minutes until glossy. Add the flaky salt.
6. Poke the warm pudding all over with a skewer and pour over one-third of the sauce. Leave 5 minutes.
7. Cut into squares and serve with the remaining hot toffee sauce and warm custard.