Recipe: Jamie Oliver’s Epic sticky toffee pudding

One of Jamie’s favourite childhood desserts made in a tray for ultimate ease – it always brings a smile.

SERVES 16
TOTAL TIME: 46 MINUTES

2 Earl Grey tea bags
200g Medjool dates
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄2 a nutmeg
350g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
350g golden caster sugar
350g dark muscovado sugar
350g self-raising flour
4 large free-range eggs
50ml whisky
300ml single cream

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Steep the tea bags in 175ml of boiling
   water, destone and add the dates, then stir in the bicarb and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the tea bags, then blitz the mixture in a food processor. Add the
   cinnamon and ginger, grate in the nutmeg, add 175g of the butter and 175g of
   each sugar, all the flour and the eggs, then blitz again until smooth.
3. Grease a 20cm x 30cm baking dish with butter, pour in the pudding mixture, then
   bake for 35 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
4. To make the caramel sauce, put the remaining butter and sugars into a small
   pan, along with the whisky. Simmer for 5 minutes on a medium heat, until you get
   a shiny, spoonable consistency, whisking occasionally, then remove from the heat
   and stir in the cream.
5. As soon as the pudding is out of the oven, pour over half the caramel sauce,
   serving the rest on the side, for drizzling over. Delicious rippled with tinned custard
   (like you see in the picture), or with whipped cream or ice cream.
   
6. EASY SWAP
   To make this alcohol-free, simply swap the whisky for orange juice, or leave it out.

Simply Jamie by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2024 Simply Jamie). Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2024.