James Tanner cooks up another delicious winter warmer with his decadent sticky toffee pudding.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Sponge

160g dried dates stones removed
½ pint water
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
160g soft butter
200g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
200g self raising flour

Toffee Sauce

120g butter
120g brown sugar
140ml double cream

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 180oc/gas 4 and line an 8 inch square cake tin.

2. Put the dates in a bowl cover with boiling water stir in bicarbonate soda and leave to soak for around 10 minutes, next cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy then gradually beat the eggs into mixture.

3. Next mix in the flour and baking powder, blitz the date ingredients in a blender to a puree then mix with the pudding batter.

4. Pour into a greased lined baking tin and cook for 35 minutes or until the cake is risen. You can check it is cooked through by inserting a skewer and if when removed it is clean the cake is cooked!

5. Leave to cool slightly.

6. Next make the toffee sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the sugar and cream simmer so sugar dissolves.

7. Cook for around 5 minutes until a brown toffee sauce is achieved.

8. To serve slice the pudding into wedges pour over the hot toffee sauce and serve with vanilla ice cream.