STICKY TOFFEE PINEAPPLE PUDDING RECIPE

Every bit as delicious as it sounds, this indulgent dessert is inspired by the key flavours of charred pineapple, cinnamon shards and warm vanilla sponge cake found in our new 15 Year Old. A stunning finale to any meal, particularly when served with a measure of the whisky that inspired it. Skal!

With thanks to Food Stylist and Chef, Clair Irwin www.clairirwinphotography.com 

Pudding ingredients

225g whole medjool dates plus an extra 50g for serving
175ml boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g self-raising flour, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
85g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
140g demerara sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
100ml milk
6 pineapple slices

Toffee sauce ingredients

175g light muscovado sugar
50g butter, cut into pieces
225ml double cream
1 tbsp black treacle

Method

1. Begin by stoning and chopping 225g of medjool dates, quite small, then put them in a bowl and pour over 175ml boiling water. Leave for about 30 minutes until cool and well-soaked, then mash up a bit with a fork and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.

2. While the dates are soaking, preheat your oven to 180°C, butter and flour six small pudding tins and sit them on a baking sheet.

3. Now mix 175g self-raising flour with 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and, in a separate bowl, beat the two eggs together.

4. Next you need to beat 85g softened butter and 140g demerara sugar together for a few minutes in a large bowl, until slightly creamy (don’t worry if the mixture is a bit grainy from the sugar) then add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, beating well between additions.

5. Now beat in 2 tbsp black treacle to the butter, sugar and egg mix and, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour and bicarbonate of soda mix, then half of the 100ml milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until you’ve used all of the flour mix and all of the milk.

6. Finally, it’s time to stir in the soaked dates. The mixture will be like a soft, thick batter at this point and it may look a little curdled, but this will cook out. Spoon the mixture evenly between the six tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.

7. It’s time for the pineapple topping and toffee sauce now. First of all, place the pineapple slices in a dry, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Dry-fry for about 5-6 minutes (or until charred) before turning over and charring the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

8. To make the toffee sauce, put the 175g light muscovado sugar and 50g butter pieces in a medium saucepan with half of the double cream (about 125ml).  Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

9. Now, stir in 1 tbsp black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it's a dark toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rest of the double cream.

10. When you remove the puddings from the oven, leave them in the tins for a few minutes before turning them out onto serving plate. Top each pudding with a charred pineapple slice, a scattering of the remaining chopped dates and a generous drizzle of the delicious toffee sauce. Enjoy!