Yes, I’m back with more recipes from Carry On!
I hit a bit of a wall back when my oven was nonfunctional and meal planning for the family was more of a chore than even I had anticipated, but I’m back to scouring the Simon Snow books for recipe ideas in anticipation of the release of Any Way The Wind Blows in July!
So this time I decided to make something that wasn't specifically referenced in the book other than in a general way, but it’s one of my favorites. I’ve always been too intimidated to attempt it but I bought a box of dates from Costco and forged ahead. It’s pudding and Simon mentions puddings so here we go!
“After my first year there, when I was 12–I spent the whole summer thinking about it. Thinking about everyone I’d met at school–Penelope, Agatha, the Mage. About the towers and the grounds. The teas. The puddings. The magic. The fact that I was magic.” Simon, Carry On chapter 2.
I can’t imagine they never had sticky toffee pudding.
(I found a variety of recipes online and ended up taking bits from a few for this one)
8 oz pitted dates, chopped small
1 tbsp black treacle or dark molasses
2 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup
place chopped dates in bowl and cover with boiling water.
put 1 inch of water in a large roasting pan and place into the oven as it’s preheating (this is for a bain-marie or water bath method)
butter a 9x9 pan. Dust with flour.
Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, beat 4 tbsp butter with the brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add treacle (or molasses if that’s what you are using) and Golden Syrup and vanilla
Add the flour slowly, at a low speed, until mixed.
(batter after flour added)
Using a food processor, puree the soaking dates (with the water they are soaking in–this confused me in the recipes I saw, but this worked for the pudding.)
(soaked and pureed dates)
Stir baking soda into date mixture
Add date mixture to batter and stir
once date mixture is stirred into batter pour the batter into the prepared 9x9 pan.
Place the 9x9 pan in the heated roasting pan that’s got water in it (this is the bain-marie or water bath method)
(roasting pan combo–9x9 inch pan in roasting pan water bath)
place the whole thing in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until top is just firm
Remove from oven and cool slightly
You can make your toffee sauce while the pudding is baking
In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the sugar and butter until it turns a deep golden, amber color. You have to keep an eye on this and stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
(melting butter and sugar)
Once it’s golden in color slowly mix in the cream. It may bubble up. It may seem to separate into clumps. Cook the mixture until it is uniform and coats the back of a spoon.
IF IT DOES GET CLUMPY: (my first batch got tossed in a very GBBO fashion) then take it off the heat for a minute and whisk it soundly until it's all mixed again then put it on the heat once more and keep whisking (this was how I salvaged my second batch)
Once cake is cool cut into squares and serve with the toffee sauce.
You can add a dollop of whipped cream on top if you like (my kids demanded that)
(finished sticky toffee pudding)
Sticky toffee pudding has always been a family favorite–at restaurants or store bought. This was my first attempt at making it at home and this recipe is definitely a keeper. My family loved it and so did I.
(I now understand why some of the GBBO contestants had issues when they tried to make a toffee or caramel sauce.)
and now the recipe without the photos!
(I found a variety of recipes online and ended up taking bits from a few for this one)
8 oz pitted dates, chopped small
1 tbsp black treacle or dark molasses
2 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup
place chopped dates in bowl and cover with boiling water.
put 1 inch of water in a large roasting pan and place into the oven as it’s preheating (this is for a bain-marie or water bath method)
butter a 9x9 pan. Dust with flour.
Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, beat 4 tbsp butter with the brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add treacle (or molasses if that’s what you are using) and Golden Syrup and vanilla
Add the flour slowly, at a low speed, until mixed.
Using a food processor, puree the soaking dates (with the water they are soaking in–this confused me in the recipes I saw but this worked for the pudding.)
Stir baking soda into date mixture
Add date mixture to batter and stir
once date mixture is stirred into batter pour the batter into the prepared 9x9 pan. Place the 9x9 pan in the heated roasting pan that’s got water in it (this is the bain-marie or water bath method)
place the whole thing in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until top is just firm
Remove from oven and cool slightly
You can make your toffee sauce while the pudding is baking
In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the sugar and butter until it turns a deep golden, amber color. You have to keep an eye on this and stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
Once it’s golden in color slowly mix in the cream. It may bubble up. It may seem to separate into clumps. Cook the mixture until it is uniform and coats the back of a spoon.
IF IT DOES GET CLUMPY: (my first batch got tossed in a very GBBO fashion) then take it off the heat for a minute and whisk it soundly until it's all mixed again then put it on the heat once more and keep whisking (this was how I salvaged my second batch)
Once cake is cool cut into squares and serve with the toffee sauce.
You can add a dollop of whipped cream on top if you like (my kids demanded that)
Sticky toffee pudding has always been a family favorite and we always had it at restaurants or store bought. This was my first attempt at making it at home and this recipe is definitely a keeper. My family loved it and so did I.
(I now understand why some of the GBBO contestants had issues when they tried to make a toffee or caramel sauce.)
