Sticky toffee pudding

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, then butter and flour 8 mini pudding tins and sit them on a baking sheet.
2. Stone and finely chop the dates, then add to a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked before stirring in the vanilla extract.
3. While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. First, mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together. Then beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few minutes until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar).
4. Next, add the eggs a little at a time, beating well as you go. Then beat in the black treacle.
5. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour and half of the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used.
6. Next, stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter (the mix may look a little curdled at this point but don’t worry.) Spoon the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, until risen and firm.
7. To make the sauce, add the sugar and butter to a saucepan with half of the Rodda’s clotted cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
8. Next, stir in the black treacle. Turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Then take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the clotted cream.
9. Finally, remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins then, using a small palette knife, loosen them from the sides of the tins before turning them out. Spoon over the warm sauce and serve with a dollop of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream.