Best Sticky Toffee Pudding

The weather's been so dreadful of late that all I've wanted to do is be huddled inside with warm and comforting things.

This sticky toffee pudding is incredible. I would go as far to say that it's the best I've ever eaten both at home and in restaurants.
I used this recipe from BBC Good Food and made a couple of adaptations. Simple to do and with a fabulous result, it won't fail to raise a smile.

I made it in a large dish, as opposed to small ramekins for ease of making.

Serves 8

225g dates (I buy them pitted for ease, otherwise remove the stones yourself)
175g boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
175g SR flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
85g butter, softened
140g Demerara sugar
1 tbsp black treacle
1 tbsp golden syrup
100ml milk

For the toffee sauce:
175g light muscovado sugar
50g butter, chopped
225ml double cream
1 tbsp golden syrup

1. Grease a 1L ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Soak the dates in the boiling water for half an hour.
3. If possible use a food processor to whiz the dates and water into a fine paste, otherwise mash with a fork.
4. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
5. In a second bowl, beat the eggs together.
6. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.
7. Add the eggs a little at a time to the butter/sugar mixture before adding the black treacle and golden syrup.
8. Fold in a spoonful of flour at a time, alternating with a spoonful of milk until well combined.
9. Finally stir in the date mixture - don't over mix.
10. Pour into the oven dish and bake for 45 minutes or until nicely set on top.

To make the toffee sauce: melt the sugar and butter together with half the cream on a low heat. Stir in the golden syrup, switch up the heat and bubble for a couple of minutes stirring occasionally until a beautiful golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the cream.

What's your favourite comforting pudding?