Ok, Martha. Let’s get one thing straight. This recipe you have for sticky toffee pudding? Not the real deal.

I’m sorry, Martha. Usually I love you and all you do, but you need to hop on a plane to the UK, go eat some real sticky toffee pudding, and then get back to me.

That’s not to say your recipe isn’t good. It makes for a really delicious cake with toffee goo on top. Seriously delicious toffee sauce here. But the dense, rich, toffee soaked cake I fell in love with in London? That’s not what this is.

So if you’re looking for a legit, British, sticky toffee pudding recipe, keep going people. But, if you’re looking for a tasty, british-sounding-but-slightly-Americanized dessert to serve at your next Sherlock viewing party, then this is a  very good one.

And Martha, when I do find a good recipe for this stuff, I’ll be sure to send you a piece. 🙂

Ingredients for the cake (recipe found here):

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 8 ounces pitted dates, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions for the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine dates and 1/2 cup boiling water; set aside to soften, at least 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to combine; set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add date mixture, flour mixture, and vanilla; mix just until moistened.

4. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare toffee sauce.

5. Remove cake from oven; cool in pan 5 minutes. To ensure it will come out easily later, carefully invert hot cake then return it, right side up, to pan. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over cake. Pour about 1 cup warm sauce over cake; let absorb at least 20 minutes.

Ingredients for the toffee sauce:

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions for the toffee sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, heavy cream, light-brown sugar, and salt.

2. Heat over low, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Simmer mixture over medium heat until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 8 to 12 minutes. If desired, reheat sauce over low before serving.