Introduction to Pâtisserie - Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge
There is some debate about the origin of this now-ubiquitous Northern English Pudding.
The Scots have a claim from 1967 for the Udny Arms Hotel in Newburgh-on-Ythan, Aberdeenshire.
The Yorkshires insist it was invented in 1907 by the landlady of the Gait Inn in Millington.
But the generally preferred story is for Francis Coulson's Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge served from 1960 at his Sharrow Bay Hotel in Ullswater.
The plot does thicken further, however, when food critic Simon Hopkinson revealed that Coulson had told him he'd actually been given the recipe by Patricia Martin of Claughton in Lancashire, and that she had received it from Canadian Air Force officers who lodged at her hotel during the Second World War.
And so, finally, Canada enters the conflict!
Whatever the true origin, the Lake District, and Cumbria more generally have adopted Sticky Toffee Pudding as their own.
As with all baking mixtures, except for chewy cookies or was it muffins? Nope, it was brownies! Aaron's rule is Wet before Dry. In other words:
The Scots have a claim from 1967 for the Udny Arms Hotel in Newburgh-on-Ythan, Aberdeenshire.
The Yorkshires insist it was invented in 1907 by the landlady of the Gait Inn in Millington.
But the generally preferred story is for Francis Coulson's Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge served from 1960 at his Sharrow Bay Hotel in Ullswater.
The plot does thicken further, however, when food critic Simon Hopkinson revealed that Coulson had told him he'd actually been given the recipe by Patricia Martin of Claughton in Lancashire, and that she had received it from Canadian Air Force officers who lodged at her hotel during the Second World War.
And so, finally, Canada enters the conflict!
Whatever the true origin, the Lake District, and Cumbria more generally have adopted Sticky Toffee Pudding as their own.
As with all baking mixtures, except for chewy cookies or was it muffins? Nope, it was brownies! Aaron's rule is Wet before Dry. In other words:
- Start by mixing your wet ingredients together in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three or four separate additions, stirring gently after each addition.
- Mix the batter just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
menu
Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding
dessert
Aaron printed out this handy BBC pudding version for us to follow the method,
but provided his own ingredients:
Strangely, most recipes for Sticky Toffee Pudding even the original ones and including this one, don't have a toffee sauce at all.
They just boil up cream, sugar and butter to make a kind of butterscotch sauce.
Bah!
- 200g dates
- 290ml water
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- 200g self-raising flour
- 2 eggs
- 55g butter
- 170g dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Golden Syrup
- 2 tablespoons Black Treacle
- NO milk
Strangely, most recipes for Sticky Toffee Pudding even the original ones and including this one, don't have a toffee sauce at all.
They just boil up cream, sugar and butter to make a kind of butterscotch sauce.
Bah!
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the pudding:- 225g whole medjool dates
- 175ml boiling water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175g self-raising flour plus extra for greasing
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 eggs
- 85g butter
- softened, plus extra for greasing
- 140g demerara sugar
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 100ml milk Note: Aaron does not add milk.
- cream or custard to serve (optional)
For the toffee sauce- 175g light muscovado sugar
- 50g butter
- cut into pieces
- 225ml double cream
- 1 tbsp black treacle
Stone and chop 225g medjool dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour over 175ml boiling water.
Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.
While the dates are soaking, make the puddings:
Mix 175g self-raising flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda together Aaron added his bicarb to the dates and beat the 2 eggs in a separate bowl.
Beat 85g softened butter and 140g demerara sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions.
Beat in 2 tbsp black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour and bicarbonate of soda mix, then half of the 100ml milk, being careful not to over-beat.
Repeat until all the flour mix and all the milk is used. Aaron skips the milk.
Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter.
Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, put the 175g light muscovado sugar and 50g butter pieces for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the 225ml double cream.
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Stir in 1 tbsp black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the double cream.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out.
You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes.
Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn't smudge (no need to chill).
When ready to serve, heat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling.
Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.
Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Aaron boiled 200g of dates in 290ml of water until they softened, then added a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and puréed them with a stick blender.
Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.
While the dates are soaking, make the puddings:
Mix 175g self-raising flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda together Aaron added his bicarb to the dates and beat the 2 eggs in a separate bowl.
Beat 85g softened butter and 140g demerara sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions.
Beat in 2 tbsp black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour and bicarbonate of soda mix, then half of the 100ml milk, being careful not to over-beat.
Repeat until all the flour mix and all the milk is used. Aaron skips the milk.
Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter.
Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, put the 175g light muscovado sugar and 50g butter pieces for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the 225ml double cream.
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Stir in 1 tbsp black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the double cream.
Or make a proper toffee sauce.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out.
You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes.
Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn't smudge (no need to chill).
When ready to serve, heat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling.
Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.
Stickylicious!
Salt Caramel (or Toffee) Sauce
sweet sauce
This is a real toffee sauce made by first caramelising sugar.
Aaron's directions for this process are to thoroughly mix sugar in a pan with an equal amount of water, stick a candy thermometer in, and cook it over maximum heat without stirring until it reaches the target temperature for caramelisation.
It seems to work pretty well!
Though I think you could turn the heat down once it gets beyond the crack stage so you have more control over the degree of caramelisation.
I have tried using no, or less water and heating more gently, but this does seem to encourage premature crystallisation.
Which leads to chunks or lumps in the finished sauce which you have to strain out.
Aaron's directions for this process are to thoroughly mix sugar in a pan with an equal amount of water, stick a candy thermometer in, and cook it over maximum heat without stirring until it reaches the target temperature for caramelisation.
It seems to work pretty well!
Though I think you could turn the heat down once it gets beyond the crack stage so you have more control over the degree of caramelisation.
I have tried using no, or less water and heating more gently, but this does seem to encourage premature crystallisation.
Which leads to chunks or lumps in the finished sauce which you have to strain out.
Makes about 1 litre
Ingredients
- 500g sugar
- 500ml water
- 300ml cream
- 300g butter
- Maldon sea salt flakes to taste
Dissolve the sugar and water on a boil until caramel stage (180 degrees C).
When at caramel add the cream off the heat and whisk fast. Be careful this is hot.
When at caramel add the cream off the heat and whisk fast. Be careful this is hot.
And will bubble up furiously too so use a long-handled whisk!
Though Aaron says you should add the cream all at once - it will halt the caramelisation if your pan is on full heat, but otherwise you might leave the pan off the stove for a few seconds before adding the cream to reduce the volcanic intensity.
When the cream is combined, whisk in the butter on the heat until it thickens slightly.
Though Aaron says you should add the cream all at once - it will halt the caramelisation if your pan is on full heat, but otherwise you might leave the pan off the stove for a few seconds before adding the cream to reduce the volcanic intensity.
You can have the butter from the fridge, or at room temperature.
Cut it into ½-1" cubes and add them a few at a time, whisking continually.
Take off the heat and cool until using.
Adjust the intensity of the toffee flavour by controlling the degree of caramelisation.
You can judge this by the colour the sugar turns, though if the heat is on full at this point you won't have much time to hesitate - the sugar will go from white to burnt in about 5 seconds.