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Wow, this is the last ever Bake Off Box recipe I will be posting – I cannot believe it! The Bake Off Box #10 for November came with a balloon whisk and the recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding, inspired by Week 4 of the 2021 Great British Bake Off.
Below, I am going to share with you the recipe from this month’s box, as well as share with you some tips and tricks to guarantee success! If you want to see my full review of this month’s Bake Off Box, check out this post here.
Check out the video here:
Sticky Toffee Pudding Traybake Recipe
This Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe was new to me in the sense that it was made as a large traybake! In the past, I have always made small individual puddings, but I actually think making one large on is a great idea! That way you save yourself the hassle of praying the individual ones will come out of the mould in one piece, and you can make so much more in one go! The below recipe serves around 8 people.
If you do want to make four individual puddings, you could check out Prue’s Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe that I made as part of my 2021 Bake Off Bake-along!
I also love the fact that this recipe calls for adding soft pitted dates to the batter! I always find when discussing Sticky Toffee Pudding with people (as I often do! XD) that some like dates in their pudding, and others don’t. I am a big fan of adding dates as I think it gives the Sticky Toffee Pudding a particularly nice taste and helps give it that lovely soft and moist texture!
What will you need to make the Sticky Toffee Pudding
Luckily, the equipment needed to conjure up this Sticky Toffee Pudding is minimal! All you need is a saucepan, mixing bowl, some measuring spoons and a whisk. You will also need an electric hand mixer (using a wooden spoon would be an option but is much more difficult when creaming the butter) and a traybake tin.
Unfortunately, the Bake Off Box didn’t come with a tin, but you can buy the tin they use in their online store. However, I used and can highly recommend this tin by Masterclass here. I have been using this tin for years and use it for every one of my traybake recipes!
In terms of ingredients, you will need self-raising flour, eggs, light muscovado sugar, butter, double cream, vanilla extract and soft pitted dates. Definitely do not skip the dates in this recipe, as I think dates in Sticky Toffee Pudding make all the difference (see above)!
Top Tips for Making Sticky Toffee Pudding
This Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe is really not too difficult to make as long as you bear a few very simple things in mind.
When making the caramel for the toffee sauce, you have to remember that once the caramel is boiling, you cannot stir it! If you stir the caramel with a spoon, it may cause the sugar to re-crystallise and your caramel will be ruined. So just swirl the pan instead to prevent the sugar at the bottom of the pan from burning.
For the Sticky Toffee Pudding batter, the below recipe calls for using the creaming method. With this method, it is important that your butter and eggs are at room temperature, and that you beat the mixture well between each addition of egg. If the mixture does however start to curdle, you can always bring it back by adding a little bit of flour alongside the egg. For more tips on the creaming method, check out the Baking Basics post here.
Finally, when making the crème Anglaise, you must remember not to let the custard mixture get too hot, or it will cook the eggs. Again, if you want more tips on how to make custard, check out this post here.
More Bake Off Box Recipes, Reviews and Videos
I have been making the Bake Off Box recipes since February 2021 and have loved most of the recipes so far! Make sure to check out the reviews, recipes and baking videos for all of the other boxes by clicking on the links below!
- Bake Off Box #1 | February 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #1 | Signature Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Bake Off Box #1 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #2 | March 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #2 | Mini Walnut and Banana Loaf Cakes Recipe
- Bake Off Box #2 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #3 | April 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #3 | Lemony Lemon Slices Recipe
- Bake Off Box #3 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #4 | May 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #4 | Chocolate and Hazelnut Babka Recipe
- Bake Off Box #4 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #5 | June 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #5 | Bakewell Tart with Feathered Icing
- Bake Off Box #5 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #6 | July 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #6 | Strawberry and Vanilla Sandwich Biscuits
- Bake Off Box #6 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #7 | August 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #7 | Passion Fruit Éclairs (with Meringue Kisses)
- Bake Off Box #7 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #8 | September 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #8 | Salted Caramel and Chocolate Mini Rolls
- Bake Off Box #8 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #9 | October 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #9 | Focaccia with Olives, Garlic & Rosemary
- Bake Off Box #9 | Unboxing and Baking Video
- Bake Off Box #10 | November 2021 | Review
- Bake Off Box #10 | Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Custard
- Bake Off Box #10 | Unboxing and Baking Video
Sticky Toffee Pudding | Bake Off Box #10 | November 2021
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE TOFFEE SAUCE:
- 220g light muscovado sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 160ml double cream
- 70g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING:
- 270g soft pitted dates, chopped
- 350ml boiling water
- 120g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200g light muscovado sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 280 self-raising flour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE CRÈME ANGLAISE (CUSTARD):
- 200ml whole milk
- 200ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 egg yolks
- 50g light muscovado sugar
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- Large Saucepan
- Silicone Spatula
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Heatproof Bowl (e.g. glass bowl)
- Electric Hand Whisk
- Balloon Whisk
- Brownie/Traybake Tin
Method:
- Start by preparing the toffee sauce. Place the light muscovado sugar into a large saucepan with 3 tbsp of water and mix until smooth. Set over a low heat and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Then turn up the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is dark brown and you can smell the caramel. At this stage you want to just swirl the pan occasionally but not stir the caramel!
- Remove from the heat and carefully pour in the double cream (the mixture may splutter and spit so be careful) and the butter and stir. Add the vanilla extract and return the toffee sauce to the heat to remelt any hardened caramel and make sure the butter has completely melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- Next, put the chopped dates into a heatproof bowl and pour over 350ml of boiling water. Leave the dates to soak for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C. Grease your baking tray with butter and set aside until needed.
- To make the batter for the Sticky Toffee Pudding, place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl. Cream the two together for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Next, add one egg at a time, beating well between each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle slightly, add in a tablespoon or two of the flour and mix that in with the eggs.
- Add the remaining self-raising flour to the mix and use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the flour. Be gentle and do not overmix at this stage.
- Once the dates have been soaking for 15 minutes, use a fork to mash the dates until they have a lumpy purée texture. Add the dates and ½ tsp vanilla extract to the cake batter and fold them in with a spatula. Again, just do this until everything is combined and don’t overmix.
- Pour the Sticky Toffee Pudding batter into the prepared baking tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until well risen, golden brown, and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven (leaving it on) and pour over roughly half of the toffee sauce (this should be around 200ml). You can use a palette knife or metal spoon to help spread it over the pudding evenly. Return the pudding to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes.
- Place the pudding on a wire rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes while you make the custard.
- For the custard, gently warm the milk, double cream and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat until just below boiling point. In the meantime, add the egg yolks and brown sugar to a heatproof bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Once the milk is warm, pour it into the egg mix in a thin and steady stream, whisking continuously as you pour. Return the custard mix to the pot and set over a low heat. Cook the custard over a low heat (you don’t want it to be too hot or it will scramble the eggs) for 4-5 minutes, whisking continuously, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Gently reheat the remaining toffee sauce in the pan. Serve the Sticky Toffee Pudding with the warm toffee sauce and custard and enjoy!
