I love a good sticky toffee pudding. It is one of the staples of British menus and I quite often will choose it if it is on the menu in a restaurant. I have had good and bad ones, and some truly awful ones! For me it should not contain raisins, but should be heavy and toffee-like with the weight of the dates it contains. Although, it should also be light enough to make you want to eat more than two spoonfuls.
I found this recipe while searching for an egg and dairy free alternative for family Christmases, and then of course I had to tweak it!
Ingredients
200g dates
250ml soya milk
100ml water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
115g vegan margarine (I use Pure Spread)
115g soft brown sugar
200g self raising flour
A few scrapings of fresh nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Toffee Sauce
100g golden syrup
200g soft brown sugar
150g vegan margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100ml soya cream
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C
2. Chop the dates using a santoku knife on a cutting board and put them in a small saucepan. Cover with the soya milk and water and simmer until the dates are soft.
3. Take the dates off the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda, which will froth as you add it to the date mixture. Leave to cool.
4. Beat together the margarine and sugar in a Classic Batter Bowl with a mix n scraper until pale. Add the date mixture & stir in.
5. Measure the spices using an adjustable measuring spoon, and mix the spices into the flour. Sieve the flour and fold into the wet mixture.
6. Spoon the sponge mixture into a square baker (or a lined 20cm square tin).
7. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. I usually listen to mine - is its still making little crackling noises give it a few more minutes!
8. To make the sauce, melt the syrup, margarine, sugar and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. Leave to cool slightly and then stir in the soya cream with a mix n scraper.
9. Pour half the toffee sauce over the pudding. Serve with the rest of the sauce in a jug and add some dairy free ice cream. Fruit ice creams and sorbets work well too.
Based on the recipe from the Vegetarian Cookery School
Very excited to try this, as this is one of yhr deserts I miss the most since becoming dairy intolerant
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing! Could I prepare in advance and refrigerate, ready to go in the oven the next day?
ReplyDeleteI'd prep the dates but not add the bicarbonate of soda yet, mix together the non dairy margarine and sugar, and prep the other dry ingredients so you can mix it all together when you are ready to bake it. Mixing in everything then refrigerating might lose you some of the aeration that the bicarbonate of soda gives you and it might not rise as much. Vegan cakes like to be baked straight away as they don't have the eggs in them to help them rise. Hope that helps? K x
DeleteLove this recipe I have also made it gluten free by substuting with rice flour, so that we can all enjoy this. Both the sauce and sponge freeze well if you are making in advance
ReplyDeleteRachel,
DeleteThanks for your comment. I had never thought about freezing it - great idea! And I'm delighted it works gluten free too.
K x
Heya, thanks for sharing the recipe! Just wondering if I need to bake the cake and cook the sauce in advance, but only able to serve the next day, can I re-heat the cake and sauce before i serve?
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
DeleteBoth cake and sauce reheat beautifully!
K x