Sticky Banoffee Pudding

I don't care what you're doing. Whether you're literally due to walk up the aisle in half an hour or have the biggest exam of your life to sit tomorrow. Leave it. Walk away. And make this pudding. Gooey, soft, moist, warm, comforting. You wouldn't need a man/woman in your life if you made this everyday. A good Sticky toffee pudding on its own is pure indulgence but add the banana and eating it feels like you're lying in bed cosy while listening to the rain beat the window pane. This pudding is not for the faint hearted. If you are one of those wimps who skip straight to the cup of tea/coffee after your main course or scan the menu for a 'light' desert this might be too much for you. At the very least you'll probably want a small slice. But if (like me) you'd skip starter just to make sure that you aren't too full to properly enjoy desert, this pudding is the bees knees.

From Gizzi Erskine, Kitchen Magic

250g dates, stoned and chopped
250ml hot black tea, made with 1 teabag
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
85g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
2 large free range eggs,
175g self raising flour, seived
3 bananas roughly mashed
1 tsp ground mixed spice

For the sauce
100g muscovado sugar
100g butter
150ml double cream
Vanilla ice cream to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC. Butter a 22cm baking dish. Place the dates in a small saucepan and pour on the hot tea. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in the bicarb of soda. I think its great to liquidise the dates here for a smooth pudding because dates can be very stringy.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with an electric beater for 4-5 minutes.
3. Break up the eggs in a cup and add one third of the egg with a few heaped tbsp of flour and fold. Repeat until all the egg is gone. Fold in the remaining flour, mashed banana, mixed spice and dates and pour into the dish. The mixture may be quite loose- don't worry!
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Put the muscovado sugar, butter, cream into a pan, place over a low heat and melt until the sugar has dissolved. Then turn up the heat up to medium and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce is light toffee colour, glossy and thickened.
6. Serve the pudding with a warm sauce and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.