1 1/2teaspoonsvery finely ground coffee or espresso
1/4cupdark brown sugar (preferably organic, which contains extra molasses)
1generous tablespoon Lyle's golden syrup (or light molasses, honey or corn syrup)
1/8teaspoonsea salt
Instructions
Make the puddings:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºCoat four 8-ounce ramekins (or six 4-6 ounce ramekins, muffin cups, or oven-proof cappuccino cupwith softened butter and place on a small baking sheet.
Place the chopped dates and stout in a medium saucepan and bring to simmer over a medium flame, shuffling the pan occasionally. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda – the mixture will foam up a bit. Stir in the butter and when it has melted, stir in the sugar. Stir in the egg, vanilla and salt, then gently stir in the flour, baking powder, and chopped ginger until combined.
Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins, filling them 1/2-2/3 full. Bake the puddings until a toothpick inserted in the center of a pudding comes out clean, 20-30 minutes (depending on the size and material of the baking vessel), rotating the puddings once halfway through for even baking.
Meanwhile, make the toffee sauce:
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the heavy cream, ground coffee, brown sugar, golden syrup and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over a medium flame, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer until the mixture bubbles thickly, another 5 minutes. Let cool slightly to thicken.
To serve the puddings, loosen the sides of the puddings with a thin knife. Turn the warm puddings out onto plates or bowls (either cutting off the rounded tops and inverting, or serving them right-side-up). Top with warm toffee sauce, and dollop generously with whipped cream and a few slivers of ginger.
The cakes keep well, wrapped, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350º oven or toaster oven for 5 to 10 minutes, and re-warm the sauce in a small saucepan, prior to serving.
Notes
Adapted generously from the Sticky Toffee Pudding in Mani Niall's Sweet!You can either bake these in four 8-ounce ramekins, lop off their domed tops and invert them onto plates, or bake them in six 4-6 ounce muffin cups or oven-safe cappuccino cups and serve them right side up.The puddings and toffee can both be made a day or two in advance and re-heated when ready to serve.I use Young's Double Chocolate Stout here, but use any dark beer that you like the taste of.All ounce measurements here are by weight.Nutritional values are based on one of four servings.