“No Sunday roast is complete without a sticky toffee pudding, or in this case, a sticky toffee loaf,” Carew writes in his first cookbook, The Dirty Dishes. “For me, this just shouts lazy Sundays: You’ve eaten your roast, been out for a walk, then you’re on the sofa when the sticky toffee pudding comes out.”
Be careful not to overcook the base, notes the model-turned-chef, because it will dry out. Serve with a classic vanilla ice cream.
Sticky toffee loaf with rum
Equipment
- 900g loaf tin or 23cm round baking tin
Ingredients
- 200 g Medjool dates de-stoned and chopped
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 150 g brown sugar
- 150 g butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tbsp baking powder
For the toffee sauce:
- 50 g butter
- 250 g Muscovado sugar
- 125 ml double cream
- 1 double shot of rum
- Vanilla ice cream to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C/gas mark 4). Pop the dates in a bowl and cover with 400ml boiling water. Add the bicarbonate of soda and leave to soak and cool.
- In a bowl or stand mixer, mix the brown sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk together. Next, add the cooled dates and most of the liquid and whisk until combined. Finally, add the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice and baking powder. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Next, line and butter the loaf tin or baking tin. I prefer to use a loaf tin for this recipe. Add the cake mixture and pop in the oven for 35–45 minutes or until the knife comes out clean.
- While the sponge is baking, start making the toffee sauce. In a pan, heat the butter and sugar together until melted, then add the double cream. Bring up to the boil then add the rum.
- When the sponge is ready, dot with a few holes here and there. Pour half the sauce over the sponge while it’s still in the tin and allow it to soak in for 15–20 minutes. Remove from the tin, slice thickly, and serve with vanilla ice cream and the remaining sauce.
Nutrition
The Dirty Dishes: 100 Fast And Delicious Recipes by Isaac Carew, photography by Susan Bell, is published by Bluebird, priced £20. Available from Amazon.
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