Michelin Sticky Toffee Pudding at Home

                                 Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of Britain’s greatest desserts, but most people are making it wrong.

In this video, we take a legendary British dessert and elevate it using techniques from Michelin-star gastropubs, inspired by Tom Kerridge and Sarah Hayward at The Coach. This is a chef-driven, technique-focused guide to making the ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding at home.

Most sticky toffee pudding recipes skip suet. That’s the mistake. Suet is a traditional British fat used in classics like spotted dick and Christmas pudding. Here, it gives the sponge lift, moisture and the ability to absorb that first layer of hot caramel as soon as it leaves the oven, the key to a Michelin-level finish.

Sponge

175g dates, chopped

100ml coffee (americano strength, not espresso)

100ml water

1 tsp vanilla

50g Beef suet

Pinch of salt

175g dark molasses

2 free-range eggs

175g self-raising flour

1 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda

Sauce

250ml whipping cream

80g dark muscovado

10g soy sauce

80g butter

Method

1. To start the sponge, roughly chop the dates and set aside 2/3’s in a heat-proof bowl and one-third in a separate bowl 

2. Pour the coffee, water and vanilla essence into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

3. Once boiling, pour the stock over the 2/3 bowl of dates and set aside to soak for 30 minutes

4. Strain the date stock into a blender along with suet, sugar, eggs. Blitz until smooth

5. Add the soaked chopped dates and blitz for a few seconds until combined but flecks running through the batter

6. Pour into a mixing bowl and fold the flour, bicarb, salt and the rest of the dates through

7. Pour in the pudding batter into a loaf tin lined with parchment, gently shaking to level out.

8.  Bake for 170C for 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean once inserted into the centre.

9. While the puddings are baking, add all the sauce ingredients except the soy sauce to a saucepan and on a medium heat, begin to stir as the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.

10. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.

11. Add the soy sauce and set aside in a warm place

12. Once the sponge is ready, remove from the oven and run a small knife around the edge of the loaf tin.

13. Tip it out, stand it the right way up and leave to cool on a wire rack

14. To serve, set your oven to 140C.

15. Slice into portions and warm through for 5 minutes while you also warm through the sauce.

16. Serve with clotted cream, ice cream or custard…chef’s choice!

Chapters;

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Prepping dates 

1:41 - Soaking the dates

2:32 - The super secret ingredient 

3:00 - Blending the batter 

4:44 - Adding the flour

6:19 - Prepping for baking

6:49 - Making Caramel 

9:22 - Finishing 

10:32 - Plating 

11:13 - Tasting