Chocolate sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients
300ml (½ pint) boiling water
150g (5oz) chopped dates
100g (4oz) dark chocolate 100g (4oz) butter, softened
150g (5oz) soft light brown sugar or light muscovado sugar
3 eggs
225g (8oz) plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp baking powder
For the toffee sauce
275g (10oz) golden syrup
275g (10oz) light brown sugar
100g (4oz) butter
225ml (8fl oz) cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Grease the sides of a 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form tin and line the base with a round disc of greaseproof paper.
Put the water in a saucepan, reduce to a simmer and soak the dates in it for 10 mins. At the same time, melt the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water (also known as a bain marie).
Cream the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and soft. Beat in the eggs one by one and then mix in the melted chocolate. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, then add the dates and the soaking liquid and stir to mix. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a plate.
To make the toffee sauce, put all the ingredients into a saucepan on a high heat and boil them for 4-5 mins, stirring regularly, until they are smooth.
To serve, place the cake on a large serving plate (with a rim or a lip around the edge) and pour some of the hot toffee sauce over the top. Serve the remaining sauce in a jug or bowl on the side.

Chocolate pecan pudding

Serves: 6

Time to prepare: 25 mins

Time to cook: approx 1 1/2 hrs

Cals per portion: 637
For the pudding:

100g (4oz) butter, softened

100g (4oz) caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

100g (4oz) self-raising flour

15ml (1tbsp) cocoa powder

100g (4oz) plain chocolate, melted

50g (2oz) pecan nuts, chopped

15ml (1tbsp) milk

For the sauce:

100g (4oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces

25g (1oz) butter

30ml (2tbsp) golden syrup

A few chopped pecan nuts, to decorate

1 Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs a little at a time (add a spoonful of the flour if the mixture begins to curdle). Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and fold into the mixture with the melted chocolate, chopped pecans and milk.

2 Butter and line the base of a 900ml (1 1/2pt) pudding basin with a circle of greaseproof paper. Spoon the mixture into the basin and cover with a round of greased and pleated greaseproof paper tied securely with fine string. Cover with pleated foil.

3 Steam for 1 1/2 hrs (see tip) until the pudding is risen and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.

4 For the chocolate sauce, place all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and leave until melted. Remove from the heat and stir to make a smooth sauce.

5 Turn the pudding out on to a plate and pour over some of the chocolate sauce and decorate with chopped pecan nuts. Serve the rest of the sauce separately.
Top tip: If you don't have a steamer, crumple a large piece of foil into a thick round and place in the base of a large pan. Sit the pudding basin on the round of foil and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Cover the pan with a well-fitting lid