Green & Black's Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

Being a fan of chocolate and pudds, I decided to embark on my first Green & Black's recipe - a classic Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake by Anita Kinniburgh. This cake is a British classic, reinvented with dashes of dark, deep chocolate and is so gooey and rich. Since we're going baaaaad, why not top it off with homemade Hazelnut Irish Cream Toffee Sauce and Snickers ice cream? 

Think of it as a mid week treat or as my sister says - 'A perfect wintertime dessert!' It's snowing a blizzard SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD, I'M SURE.. 

Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding, adapted from Green & Black's (Serves 4-6)

• 100g Green & Black's dark cooking chocolate ( I used regular 70% dark chocolate)
• 
  
• 200ml boiling water
• 
  
• 100g chopped dates (Medjool dates are the richest)
• 
  
• 70g unsalted butter, softened
• 
  
• 100g soft light brown or light muscovado sugar
• 
  
• 2 large eggs
• 
  
• 150g plain flour
• 
  
• 2/3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 
  
• 2/3 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1.) Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Grease ramekins  

     with butter or plain oil.

2.) Put the water in a saucepan, reduce to a simmer and 

     soak the dates for 10 minutes. Meanwhile melt the 

     chocolate then set aside to cool.

3.) Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light 

     and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one, and then mix in 

     the melted chocolate. (Make sure your chocolate is cool, 

     or your eggs will scramble!)

4.) Sift in the dry ingredients, then add the dates and their 

     soaking liquid and stir to mix. Pour the mixture into the 

     prepared tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until 

     knife comes out clean. 

       And this is, as Guy Fieri would put - 'THE MONEY SHOT'.

Hazelnut Bailey's Irish Cream Toffee Sauce (Serves 6 generously)

1/3 cup (175 mL) butter

2/3 cup (300 mL) packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup (175 mL) whipping cream

2 tbsp (60 mL) Bailey's

1.) Melt butter over medium heat; stir in sugar until dissolved. Add cream and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in Bailey's; keep warm.



2.) To assemble, poke holes all over the still warm cake and spoon toffee sauce generously over cakes. Serve with ice cream and leave the remaining toffee for your guests to enjoy!

Baker's Notes

1.) I forgot to add in the soaking liquid, which made my cakes more spongey and dry. This can be remedied with extra toffee sauce, but don't make the same mistake I did!

2.) Do chop the dates up finely, but a little texture is fine too.

3.) You don't have to use Bailey's for the sauce. You can withhold it, or play it up with Scotch, Rum and Whiskey!