Recipe: Stuart O’Keeffe’s Sticky Toffee Pudding

As the evenings turn a little colder, a sweet, hot treat is exactly what the doctor ordered when it's finally time to get home and snuggle up on the couch! Ahead of Bake Fest, Stuart O'Keeffe has shared his favourite recipe for a delicious sticky toffee pudding.  __________________________________ Sticky Toffee Pudding Serves 4 Ingredients  115g Unsalted Butter, plus more for greasing pan 125g Self Rising Flour 10 dates, pitted 250g dark brown Sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Optional: Serve with Ice Cream Method Preheat oven to 350°F/165°C. Butter and flour a 8 inch by 2 inch round cake pan. Simmer dates in water for about 5 minutes to soften. Set aside. Remove from water and roughly chop. Beat half the butter and 50g of the brown sugar together in a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg until well combined. Gradually add flour and a pinch of salt until almost mixed, add in dates and mix until well combined. Pour batter into pan and bake until wooden toothpick comes out clean, this should take about 25 – 30 minutes. In another saucepan, melt the butter over a moderate heat and stir in the rest of the sugar, 70ml water and a pinch of salt, vanilla, bring to the boil slowly until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce has reduced by half. This will take about 6-8 minutes. Remove pudding from pan, cut and serve on plate with sauce and ice cream. Bake Fest Galway 2014, a two day national baking festival, is returning to Leisureland Galway on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October. Bake Fest 2014 is a not for profit organisation and all proceeds will go to Ireland’s national meningitis support and awareness charity ACT for Meningitis.