Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

I aquired my love for sticky toffee pudding during an amazing ten day adventure across Scotland last May.
My daughter Anna and I were invited by complete strangers, Mark and Shona, to a Scottish feast in Peterhead. We enjoyed haggis, and black pudding, boiled potatoes and turnips, and an incredible meat dish (can't remember what it was called). At the end of the meal Shona presented us with the best ever dessert, sticky toffee pudding. As shown in the picture above.
Enough said about the dessert, the real story is all about the hospitality we experienced in the home of Mark and Shona. We arrived in Peterhead, the birth town of my grandmother and great grandmother and great great grandmother. Anna and I attended an evening service at the Peterhead Baptist Church, the church my grandparents were married in. The Pastor introduced us to the congregation as visiting Canadians with family ties to the church. Anna was suffering from some pretty heavy duty jet lag and fell asleep on my shoulder during the service. No one seemed to mind. After the service we were invited out for coffee and goodies to the home of one of the church members where we enjoyed great fellowship with this family and their other guests. We also received an invitation for dinner for the next day. Mark picked us up at our bed and breakfast and dropped us off after dinner. We were treated like visiting royalty, like "my house is your house." We ate and we talked and we listened to music and we laughed, we were definitely kindred spirits. The invitation to dinner and the way we were totally honoured in their home was truly the highlight of our first trip to Scotland. For our remaining time there we tried to find a sticky toffee pudding to match the one Shona made, but no luck, until now.
Found this recipe on the Internet. Try it, you'll love it and maybe you will get a little taste of the sincere hospitality of truely good people like those we met in Peterhead.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

Ingredients

cake batter:

1 1/2 cups of pitted dates, chopped

1 1/2 cups of water

1/2 cup of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

toffee sauce:

1 cup of whipping cream

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of butter

topping:

a dollop of whipped cream per serving

method:

Combine the dates and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid had been absorbed by the dates. Puree the dates in a blender.

With an electric mixer beat the butter with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

In a bowl , mix flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Add to the wet batter and then stir in the pureed dates.

Spoon the batter into a buttered and floured 9" X 13" baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the top feels firm when gently pressed in the centre.

While the pudding is cooking make the toffee sauce by combining the cream, sugar and butter in saucepan. Bring to boil then cook, boiling and stirring for about 3 minute. Let cool slightly.

After the pudding has cooled slightly, make tiny holes on the top with a skewer or fork.

Pour half the toffee sauce over the top.

Must be served warm with a little toffee sauce poured over individual pieces. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

mmm.. Hope you love it as much a we do.