Make the perfect sticky pudding, courtesy of golf course chefs

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To the uninitiated, sticky coffee pudding is likely to be at least somewhat confusing. It sure is contagious. It’s also like candy with a rich, warm buttery sauce. But it’s not pudding, at least not by the American definition.

So what IS sticky toffee pudding, you ask?

The classic British dessert is one that features a moist, sweet, date-filled sponge, which is usually soaked in – and covered in – the aforementioned sauce. It is often served with vanilla ice cream or ice cream. Dessert is one of those dishes that impresses only if it is done exceptionally well. A mediocre sticky toffee pudding will leave you wondering what all the fuss is about; but a sublime sticky toffee pudding will change your life.

Okay, we’ll cut back on the hyperbole a bit. The dish almost certainly won’t change your life. But she WILL change your perspective on the sweet end of a meal. Case in point: I still vividly remember my first introduction to sticky coffee pudding almost 15 years ago. Needless to say, that discovery was made with fantastic rendition, so much so that now I will never order sticky toffee pudding if I see the dish on a dessert menu.

Recently, I enjoyed one of the best versions I’ve ever had in Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland. Naturally, I had to figure out what goes into a stellar sticky pudding and what amateur bakers need to know if they want to create a batch of sweet happiness at home.

“The dessert will only be the sum of its ingredients,” says Karl Thompson, culinary director of White Rabbit Projects, a hospitality group that manages food and beverage operations for the property, not to mention most other historic golf hotels. . which make up the Marine & Lawn portfolio. “So get the best quality ingredients you can afford, especially dates from Middle Eastern foods. They will add more complex coffee flavor to the sponge.

Thompson also advises home bakers to accurately measure all ingredients separately and always use eggs and butter at room temperature. This allows the cake mix to mix more cohesively. Do not forget about the marriage of coffee sauce and cake at the end of the process. “It’s essential that once the pudding is cooked, you allow it to absorb a small amount of the sauce,” he says. “This adds a delicious moistness to the finished pudding.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thompson stuck to his recipe with a white-knuckled glove, so we can’t share with you step-by-step instructions for recreating Slieve Donard’s sticky pudding. Fortunately, Bret Young, chief executive at Contra Costa Country Club in Pleasant Hill, California, was closest to the recipe he uses (see below).

“I love its warmth and richness,” he says, “and our members love the complexity of the flavors and the fact that it’s decadent but not overpowering. It’s one of my go-tos for special events, like bourbon dinners , especially during the fall and winter.”

Contra Costa Country Club’s Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients:

12 oz. pit dates
1.25 pounds. water
2 spoons. baking soda
4 oz. butter, softened
12 oz. brown sugar
4 eggs
12 oz. all purpose flour
2 spoons. baking powder
1 spoon. ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Place the dates in a large mixing bowl, then bring the water to a boil.

Pour the water over the dates to soften, then put them in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture back to the large bowl.

Add the baking soda to the blended mixture and whisk to combine. (Add baking soda only after mixture is mixed.)

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar, add the eggs, mix until well combined, then fold in the date mixture.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, then fold into the batter.

Divide mixture into greased ramekin and bake at 325 degrees until a skewer comes out clean (about 12 minutes).

Contra Costa Country Club Coffee Sauce

Ingredients:

1.25 cups of butter
1.25 cups of heavy cream
2.5 cups of brown sugar

Preparation:

In a sauce pot, combine the cream and butter and heat slowly until the butter is completely melted.

Pour in the brown sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until thickened (about 10 minutes).

When it thickens, remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.