Pazham Pappadam Paayasam: Sticky Toffee pudding!

Here is a dessert that is sure to test the fate of even those who claim not to posses a sweet tooth. This dessert was the highlight of our daughter’s first birthday bash and almost every guest made it a point to compliment this delightful treat. One of the best dessert I ever made and this is a keeper recipe..Enjoy friends…

For the Toffee Sauce

Heavy cream 2 ½ cups
Dark brown sugar ¾ cup, packed
Butter 1 TBSP
pinch of salt

For the pudding

Pitted dates 1 ½ cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped (I used medjool variety)
Water around ¾ cups
Baking powder 2 tsp
All purpose flour 1 cup
Grated ginger ¼ tsp
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Unsalted butter, softened 3 TBSP
White sugar 2/3 cups
Eggs 2 large

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease an 8*8 pan with butter and set aside.

Place the chopped dates into a medium saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Switch off and let it stand for another 10-15 minutes to cool down, and then mash slightly with a spoon or fork. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, and baking powder. Blend this well. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the date mixture and mix gently using a wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture into the greased baking pan. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of cake. Remove pan and set onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the inside edge of the pan and gently turn the cake onto a plate. Cut the cake into squares and set aside.

While the cakes are baking prepare the toffee sauce. Bring the cream, brown sugar, butter and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring often to melt the sugar. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Pour sauce over each prepared sticky pudding. Serve immediately. Enjoy!!