English Toffee Pudding

Serves 6 to 8

"A 10!" said my number-one taster. The recipe comes from Sheila's Cottage, Ambleside, in England's Lake District. The date-studded pudding base is baked in a shallow dish until set; it is then topped with a mixture of butter and brown sugar and baked again until it is glazed with a crunchy candy topping.

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (about 4 ounces) finely chopped dried pitted dates
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the center. Butter a 9-to-10-inch pie pan or oval gratin dish; set aside.

2. Sift the 1 cup flour and the baking powder onto a sheet of wax paper or into a bowl; set aside. In a small heatproof bowl, toss the dates with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour.

3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat together 4 tablespoons of the butter and the white sugar until light and fluffy. Lower the speed to medium-low; beat in the egg and about 1/4 of the flour mixture; mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.

4. Sprinkle the baking soda and vanilla over the dates; add the boiling water and stir to combine. Add the date mixture to the batter, beating until well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake until set and well browned on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven; preheat the broiler, with a rack about 4 inches from the heat source.

6. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, the brown sugar and the cream to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Pour the topping over the hot pudding.

7. Broil the pudding until the topping bubbles, watching carefully to prevent burning, about 1 minute. Cool the pudding briefly on a wire rack. Serve warm, with whipped cream.

Buy the Book!

Classic Home Desserts
A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes
By Richard Sax
Houghton Mifflin, May 2000
Hardcover, $35.00
688 pages, 48 color photographs
ISBN: 0-618-00391-6
Recipe reprinted by permission.