The best thing about sticky toffee pudding is its intense, tooth-aching sweetness. And that's the worst thing about it, too. Some recipes are so cloying they just beg for some kind of sugar-cutting counterpoint—acid, heat, or spice—to break up the syrupy monotony. Ginger comes to the rescue in this recipe, which is, in essence, a pan of moist, date-studded gingerbread heightened with stout and then made sticky with a gingery toffee sauce. We use a combination of pungent fresh ginger root and docile ginger powder to explore the range of the spice. Ginger tea would be an ideal accompaniment, but then again so would a glass of Port or Madeira—and much more festive at that.
Gingerbread Sticky Toffee Pudding
Serves 6
Even if you’re not a great lover of ginger, this recipe makes for a fabulous sticky toffee pudding. See “Etc.” below for options.
For the pudding:
1 cup dark stout beer, flat
6 ounces pitted dates, chopped
1½ teaspoons to 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, to taste (I like it hot, you might not)
2 teaspoons baking soda
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon brandy
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped candied ginger or raisins
For the ginger toffee sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1½ teaspoons to 1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot, to taste
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
1. To make the pudding, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine stout and dates. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Stir in the grated ginger and baking soda. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time; beat in the brandy. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ground ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Add to the mixer in three additions, alternating with the pureed date mixture. Fold in the candied ginger. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until firm and golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before broiling. Preheat the broiler.
4. While the pudding bakes, prepare the toffee sauce. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients. Simmer until sauce thickens to taste, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour half the sauce over the pudding and broil the pudding for 1 minute. It will start to smell singed and most of the sauce will soak right into the pudding. Serve warm pudding with remaining sauce on the side.
Etc…
- To “flatten” stout on the fly, stir it with a fork to release bubbles while you prepare your ingredients ready.
- Adding a full tablespoon ginger to the sauce and sauce makes a spicy, hot gingerbread that I love. If you like something more mild and refined, use less.
- Also using raisins in place of candied ginger will tone down the heat. Candied ginger varies greatly in flavor. Some kinds are hot and some are mild. If yours is very hot and you like a gentler flavor, you can use less.
- If you’d like a ginger-free sauce, try this super-simple version: Over medium-low heat, bring 1 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons water up to a simmer, and swirl the pan until the butter is completely melted. Whisk in ½ cup brown sugar, and cook for 3-4 minutes until thickened and lightly browned (but not darkly caramelized).
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