LAWRENCE MURPHY

STICKY DATE & RUM SPONGE

Over the past few months of delivering Fat Olives at Home,

Julia and I have noticed that when it comes to desserts, the oldfashioned puddings are obviously the ones our customers really love. Treacle tart and sticky sponges with cream or toffee sauce certainly got the big thumbs up from many of the customers we delivered to.

So if you need a ‘food hug’ here’s a recipe for a sticky rum sponge with toffee sauce. I roasted a piece of pineapple to go with ours but a spoon of vanilla ice cream would be fab.

Ingredients, serves 8

220g dried dates; tablespoon rum; 360ml water; 40g golden syrup; 20g black treacle; 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 65g butter; 200g brown sugar; 3 eggs; 240g self-raising flour

Toffee sauce

220g caster sugar; 80ml water; 130ml double cream; 80g butter; tablespoon rum

Method

1. Put the dates, rum, water, syrup and treacle into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

2. Add the bicarb and liquidise – allow to cool.

3. Beat the sugar and butter together adding the eggs and flour. Then mix in the date mixture.

4. Pour this into a lined tin mould and cook for 50 minutes to an hour until cooked.

5. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. 6.Whilst the sponge is cooking make the toffee sauce. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and gently simmer until the sugar caramelises.

7. Add the cream (careful it will bubble and spit) then whisk in the butter and rum.

8. Put the sponge in bowls and pour over the toffee sauce.