Sticky Toffee Pudding Sauce
Dribbling with sticky toffee sauce
Why don’t the French do sticky toffee pudding? OK, it’s PUD. It’s sometimes pud that can arrive with a thud. Serve too much of it at the end of a meal and my slender French lady friends would secretly panic: you could be made silently responsible for damaging their elegant silhouettes (known as taille de guêpe – literally translated as having a corset waistline like a wasp.)
These beautiful French girlfriends have made me learn so much over the years – simply because I wanted to be just like them. Now if the puddings were poshly presented as individual minis on large, look-at-me plates and surrounded by zigzags of sticky toffee sauce, then it’s definitely accepted: we’re in chic-land.
My French parents-in-law returned from the UK recently and ever since, even they are hooked on “steecky tofffeee puddeeng”, like some of our French friends. In the UK we all fond of our sticky toffee pudding. So much, that mention the initials, STP, and most people know what you’re talking about. With Granny and Grandpa, we soon realised that my kids had already sussed our ‘secret code’. “Are they allowed some STP, Mummy?” Before even answering, my kids would promptly jump up and down, chanting: STP, STP, STP, pleeeeease! So much for me being the French Police (yes, that’s my nickname back in Scotland, would you believe it?)
Sticky Toffee Pudding is so popular that it tends to be on most British restaurant dessert menus. As the book was originally aimed at British readers, I couldn’t resist making sticky toffee pudding macarons (see p.86), plus I added a sticky toffee giant macaron dessert (p.118) which is just as wicked as the original puddings but as they’re macarons, they are much lighter in calories and completely GLUTEN FREE.
The French (et al ;-)) adore salted caramel sauce. This darker toffee sauce is just so quick to make and extra sticky – ideal for dribbling over waffles and pancakes, but also handy for jazzing up desserts such as chocolate fudge cake, brownies, ice-cream (see p.125 of the book) and the giant sticky toffee macaron puddings.
For Christmas, I saw in Delicious Magazine last year that you could make a Cranberry version (their recipe included Brandy, so you could replace the rum with it.) Just add 100g of cranberries to the sauce and hey toffee, you’ve made a festive version to jazz up your puddings.
Update: I also just discovered that my friend, Carolyn of All Day I Dream about Food made special gluten-free, low-carb Sticky Toffee Puddings for a guest post over at Cara’s Cravings. Worth checking out for anyone who is looking for a sugar-free version.
Sticky Toffee Sauce
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
150ml double cream
85g dark muscovado sugar
100g unsalted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup (or corn syrup)
2 tbsp dark rum
- Put the cream, sugar and butter into a saucepan, stir and bring to the boil. Cook for 3 minutes, then stir in the syrup and rum.
- Cook for a further minute, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Set aside until needed and warm before serving.
Licking the spoon is acceptable but I strongly urge you to resist temptation of licking the plate (at the table, anyway.) I’m sure you agree that is definitely not in chic-land.
Don’t forget the International Giveaway of Mad About Macarons over at The Three Little Piglets.
Today is the last day for entries so hurry over now!
Jill Colonna 
Do you have a recipe for the Pudding? I’ve been looking for a good recipe and tried a few, but nothing really good! I hope you can help me in my search 🙂
Molly, I do. The post is planned in the New Year!
Fantastic, this is an all time favorite dessert of mine, great with a dollop of cream on top..
Take care,
I have always loved the name of this dessert and the concept but when I finally had it I was severely disappointed. .
Clearly I should have had YOURS!
I love the way you call it Gluten-free
HA!
Sugar-free and fat-free it ain’t.
Though you may be FREE of a few teeth after eating (somehow this is never mentioned BTW).
YUM!
Hehee, Carol. I did mention the teeth part in one of my first ever blog posts that nobody saw…
I love my dentist 😉
http://madaboutmacarons.com/archives/1445
This is a fantastic toffee dessert. My husband would really love this one. 🙂
I’ve only had sticky toffee pudding once but it was so delicious and your photos look amazing! I’ll have to try out your sauce and make this for myself sometime soon!
Your story made me laugh and your pictures are making me crave STP. Love it!
Love this post Jill, and I love your recipe for this awesome sauce! Can’t wait to try your version! Have a beautiful Sunday evening!
LOVED these photos Jill! Oh that sticky, toffee, pudding sauce is just calling my name!
I have yet to try sticky toffee pudding. I have to laugh at the way you describe the french women viewing it! I think it is something I need to add to my list of things to make someday though. Your sauce sounds like it would be delicious, even over a bowl of ice cream! I especially love the addition of the rum! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend Jill :)!
OMG! STP! LOVE this rum-laced sauce, Jill. I’d be inclined to save calories by cutting out the pud and just eating a plateful of sauce. I wouldn’t be too embarrassed to lick the plate either 🙂
The French Police haha! To heck with the French Silhouette, gimme some of that delicious sauce!
This is fantastic! You’re right – this could be used for a ton of things! I would love to drizzle some on a chocolate macadamia nut tart I’ve had my eye on!
Have a GREAT day!
This sticky toffee sauce is asking me to lick the plate. Yum. I won’t be able to have my manner in front of this! Pardon me! 😉
I love toffee! And I can imagine that thick luscious sauce being poured over my ice cream… Mmmm. Just perfect!
I’ve been making salted butter caramel sauce like mad lately and dribbling it over everything apple and chocolate! And your sticky toffee pud is like none I have seen before! Love it!
Gooey heaven! What a scrumptious delight this is 🙂 Sorry I missed the giveaway 🙁
Oh yum! Love toffee sauce.
I cannot get enough of this stuff – sweet, gooey, sticky, crunchy… really – it doesn’t get any better than this. Even dabbed on a large plate surrounded by squiggles.
Jill–These are gorgeous (of course you produce nothing but elegant and goreous). I hope your French girlfriends enjoy this treat!!!
Hells bells! Your STP looks ACE! I’d never had sticky toffee pudding before I moved to Cayman but seeing as how we’re a British Overseas Territory its on every menu here. Even the Thai restaurant does a brilliant STP 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Now that is too funny: a Thai version of STP? Do they serve them on exotic mango boats? I wish I could visit Caymen. My brother lived there for a year and was a DJ doing James Bond voice-overs etc. It’s such a cool – or rather, hot – place! So jealous of your pirate week!
I always think of this sauce being poured over a spicy cake. However, after seeing this post, I am realizing that it has a ton of more uses than that. We have our caramel, Mexico has their Dulce de Leche, but the UK has this sauce. Out of the three, the rum one does seem to appeal to me the most. What can I say-I like the extra kick of the alcohol in there! Yum.
Mm — I just bought some dark rum today. I’ve been hearing about sticky toffee pudding for awhile, but haven’t made it yet: maybe I’ll start with this sauce.
I’ve never even heard of sticky toffee pudding before, I feel so out of the loop 🙂 Especially since it’s so popular in the UK. Even so, it looks incredibly delicious! A lovely dessert for this time of year, thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful day!
Your Sticky Toffee Pudding Sauce looks wonderful, and I can just see it drizzled over brownies or chocolate cake for the final touch. I hope to make some. Thanks for sharing.
I really can’t say it any better than Carolyn. 😉
Oh that sounds to die for! I love toffee, I love anything sticky, and like you, salted caramel is one of my greatest joys 🙂 Definitely bookmarking this one!
Oh. My. God. I’d like to bathe in that stuff.
I like toffee a lot. I’ve never really seen it as a sauce. I’m sure it exists here in the US but I see toffee candies which are coated in chocolate. Yum yum!