Sumptuous Sticky Toffee Pudding

I've been working on this post since the 12th...because good things need to be lingered over...

*[In the M&S voice ]*

A delicious, soft, moist date sponge, oozing with delicious, buttery toffee sauce, that literally melts into a wondrously gorgeous state of affairs as soon as it hits the tongue ....

This is not just sticky toffee pud - well, actually, that's a lie. It is just Sticky Toffee Pudding. However, it is also one of my all time favourite desserts and a delicacy of the area I'm currently living in.

Thus, I have a perfectly reasonable excuse to try as many as I want.

Problem is, this tends to leave a rather massive hole in my near non-existent budget.

So, being the thrifty, dessert loving gal that I am, I endeavoured to learn how to make it!

I think my recipe is just as delicious as the ones in the restaurants....maybe even better!

Prep Time: 20 minutes (including weighing)

Baking Time: 20 - 45 minutes

Difficulty?: Easy - even if you mess up the sauce, it still tastes great!

Ingredients:

For the date sponge: -

200g (1 cup) of dates, pitted and roughly chopped

300ml ( 1 and 1/4 cups) of boiling hot water

1 tsp of baking soda

50g (1/4 cup) butter

175g (3/4 cup) sugar

2 eggs

175g (1 and 3/4 cup) plain flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

For the toffee sauce: -

50g (1/4 cup) butter

3 tablespoons plain flour

50g (1/4 cup) sugar

125ml (1/2 cup) of milk

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/160 Degrees Celsius/325 Degrees Fahrenheit if you're using a 9 x 9 inch tin and anything bigger.

However if, like me, you decide to use an inappropriate 7 inch diameter cake tin in a fan assisted oven, turn it down to 150 Degrees Celsius and put it on the bottom rack.

Grease whichever tin you're using.

If you haven't pitted and chopped the dates, you probably need to do that now.

This will take a while, and you will end up with it all over your fingers.

You will come to truly understand where the 'sticky' aspect of this dessert truly comes from.

There's no pictures of this phenomenon since - well, I was too busy eating it off my fingers to take pictures.

When it is done, put it into a bowl and then pour the boiling hot water all over them - this helps them swell up and become even juicier!

Add the teaspoon of baking soda and put it to one side to do....uh, date and soda-y things.

In a big mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

Till it makes a lovely, squishy mixture.

Beat in the eggs. You can do them one at a time, reeeally making sure the first one is completely made a part of the mix, before adding the second one.

Or you could just dump them both in at the same time.

When you've finished, you should have quite a smooth mixture.

Then gently, and slowly, fold the flour and baking powder into the cake mix.

You'll be looking at it now, like "There is no way in heck that this is going to tun out moist."

What, did you forget about the dates and water already?

Gradually add in the dates/water/soda mix, mixing until the entire mix is well combined after each addition.

Pour into the pre-greased tin.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (if you've used a big tin. If, like me, you've used an inappropriately sized tin, you will have to wait 45 minutes. Sorry, loves!)

Then pop it into the oven and turn your attention to the sauce...the sinfully delectable sauce.

Melt the butter and sugar over a low heat. Then gradually pour in the milk, and sprinkle on the flour.

You have to keep stirring frequently at least every 10 seconds, because the flour is the thickener. And the first time I made it, I put the spoon down for 30 seconds while I went to change the song on my computer.

And I ended up with lumps.

So no pictures of this process, to avoid the lumps.

They were tasty lumps, but lumps nonetheless. So please. Keep stirring.

When the sauce has thickened considerably (it takes about 10 minutes from beginning to end), add the vanilla extract and then take it off the heat.

Check on the sponge. If a fork inserted in the centre comes out with some delectable crumbs hanging on desperately onto it, then it's done.

Basically, as long it's no longer molten.

Take the pudding out of the oven and gently run a spatula around the edge, before turning it out onto it's final serving place.

Turn it right way around and then poke it all over with a fork. Then pour the sauce over the pudding, making sure that a lot of it goes into where the fork has poked though.

And then enjoy. With custard, or ice cream, or by its stunning self.

Because, like Slinkys, that's what it was made for - enjoyment.

It's so....it's just....you know what, I'm running out of words to use to describe this pudding.

No wait. One more.

Magic.

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Monday Mission - Give Thanks

I know this one is a bit of an obvious one, what with it having been Thanksgiving in the U.S last week, but I don't celebrate it, so I need reminding, so there.

Sometimes, when it's a bad day, it's so easy to forget about the good stuff in our lives, which is a shame, because that's usually when we need to remember the most.

A Simple Thing: I am thankful to my God for all he has given me:

I am thankful for all the wonderful people in my life: -

For my family, who love and encourage and support me in their unique way. They're amazing.

For the Wonder Thing, who is continually patient and also continually crazy. He leaves me speechless.

For my friends, especially Lady V and The Fae, who are lovely and bonkers. I fit right in. They're fantastic.

For my amazing tutors, who continue to push and encourage me and open my eyes to options I never thought possible. They're inspiring.

For my body - it works! And it wears orange and yellow quite well. It's distinctive.

For my health, especially in this weather. It could definitely be a lot worse. It's improving.

For my growth as a person; my burgeoning courage; my ridiculous confidence; the sound of laughter on the regular. It's heart-warming.

For the joy I have, due to all of the above, and the continual grace and mercy I receive on a daily basis from all avenue. It's magnificient.

I am eternally grateful.

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A Letter to Jack Frost

Dear Mr Frost,

You must've known we'd hear the weather report.

That we'd get our hopes up.

Hopes of being snowed in and unable to make it to class/work/the library.

Hopes of reverting to our childhood (well, admittedly, some of us never left) and being able to have snow ball fights, make angelic shapes and have sleigh rides, along with other snow related delights.

I mean, some people, on the same island as me, even managed to make snow people.

So what's up with this?

What, by the time you came around to my area, your little snow elves got a bit tired?

Had run out of snow or something?! So you got them to go to the supermarket and get some odd icing sugar/baby powder mix and throw it everywhere on the ground, and you thought we wouldn't notice?

Mr Frost. This is not acceptable. I demand frosty frolics! Soft Snowflakes! Snow so thick one must wade through it! I'm wearing so much mismatched winter wear that I'm waddling about - and I kinda need a reason for it, you know?

Don't make me get out the pencil and draw a protest. Nobody wants it to have to go that far.

Yours,

A Disappointedly, Only Mildly, Snow Sprinkled Thing

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Pippy Ponytail and Twists

This morning, I woke up and literally had about five minutes to get ready for my seminar. And I hadn't prepped it at all the night before. So I went back to secondary (high) school for inspiration -that, and Pippy Longstocking. Hence, the name.

So I separated it into two different sections horizontally and then pulled the top half into a ponytail. The bottom half I vertically separated into another two sections, and then braided each section.

My braids suck.

So I took them out and did twists instead.

I was going to leave them down but I had a busy day, and I didn't want them to start sticking up at right angles.

See the little bit trying to rebel behind the clip?

So I folded the ends back up and tied them down with a band and attached the flower clips to the bands.

.

Finished product, including the ponytail (it's a bit close):

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Yellow Winter

I know it's winter and I've said before that I'm not too big on fashion and clothes and stuff.

But I saw this dress over on Natural Belle's blog and...wow. Just WOW. I would rock that colour whatever the weather.

I especially love the skirt.

(P.S I adore Belle's blog - she posts pictures of extreme pretty on a daily basis. If anyone was going to get me to turn onto the fashion scene, it would be this lady).

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Bantu-out Bangs and Buns

I got a bit bored with my usual side fringe (or bangs). So I decided to bantu knot them up!

I did them yesterday night, to allow them time to dry. I slicked on a little bit of moisturiser and oil and then twisted the roots of the bantu knots before twisting - if I don't do this, the volume of the roots contrasts oddly with the thinness of the knot out. But I don't twist all the way down, since I didn't want too slim curls.

I have to admit, usually, I don't like the way bantu knot outs look on me. I think I look like Dot from 'A Bug's Life'. Cute as she is, she is not my style icon (any more).

Here are the bantu knots when they're in...so tiny!

And then after I took them out this morning.

And after pulling/puffing/fluffing...

I did the usual thing and pinned them down, but I really like the way it looked with my colour, even after it got a bit messy at the end of the day.

And because the set made it look massive and curly, I found I used less tension when pining my fringe down and let it do it's thing a lot more.

I'm wearing the bun I've been wearing for the last couple of days...which you guys haven't really had a look at. Which is maybe why I should blog regularly and not lose my USB cord T_T

I got excited because I think I worked out how to do a bun.

It was really similar to this method, though I wasn't at all bothered about my edges. I like the bun too for it's simplicity, but I think doing the same thing every morning may be straining my hair a little. If I take it out of the band, I end up with a lovely dent in my hair.

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Monday Mission - Pep Up!

Get a Daily Pep Talk from a Best Friend

A Simple Thing - Todays one said:

Pep Talk: Babyface, you have every reason to be happy, so why not spunk up? With your natural gifts and likability, you have a lot to smile about. Show the world how much you enjoy being you.

Today remind yourself: I show my happiness.

She knows me so well. Bwhaha! Sorry if you feel short changed - I'm working on a lot more descriptive ones for the next couple of weeks and they're taking me a while -__-

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