I must admit I don’t bake as much as I used to. Kenny doesn’t quite share my weakness for desserts and a lot of vegan desserts tend to centre around chocolate which I don’t eat. I never was much of a traditional cake person, to the point where we didn’t even have a standard wedding cake and most of my baking used to be done for other people, but I miss proper puddings.
For those of you that aren’t British, by pudding I mean a hot, cooked dessert, something that should be smothered in custard and is both entirely comforting and indulgent. The calorie count on these things is off the charts so you feel slightly naughty eating them but they’re so tasty and reassuring, who cares about calories? Honestly, ice cream has nothing on these things when you’re having a bad day.
So, in response I made my vegan, gluten free, sticky toffee pudding – without dates because my dad hates them and its hard enough to get him to eat plant based food as it it is. The basic sponge was amazingly tasty, fluffy and probably the easiest recipe I’ve done in some time with friends and family coming back for more but the toffee sauce has taken me much longer. Creating a sauce that tastes the same as a non-vegan version, is just as thick and satisfying, and can still be reheated in case of left overs took a little bit of work but the answer came in the form of a now pantry staple – cashews! (I’m so sorry to anyone with a nut allergy!). This gave the same texture as using double cream but I’ve found it’s much more stable and less vulnerable than dairy to burning. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
- Serves: 4 hungry people (or 6 with a little restraint)
Ingredients
For the Pudding:
- 100g Vegan Butter
- 175g Brown Sugar
- 200g Gluten Free Flour*
- 25g Chickpea Flour
- 1 Chia Egg**
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 3 tbsp Black Treacle
- 340ml Oat Milk
For the Toffee Sauce:
- 160g Cashews
- 275ml Water
- 100g Butter
- 125g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Black Treacle
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Directions
Soak the cashews overnight in the water. When soft, blend to smooth cream. Put to one side till you start to pull together the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C Fan/350 F) and grease your baking dish, I prefer to use a nice square casserole dish that has a good 1.5 litre capacity.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the sugar, butter, treacle and chia egg until well combined, scraping the bowl to ensure no butter is left behind. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Beating continually, add the milk and dry ingredients to the batter a little at a time, alternating wet for dry, only adding the next spoon full when the last is mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix until well combined.
Pour into the prepared dish and bake for about an hour, it should be well risen, springy but still ever so slightly sticky in the middle.
While the pudding is baking you can take the time to whip up your sauce. Pour all the sauce ingredients, including the cashew cream, in to a small pan. Place on a low to medium heat and stir continually until the sugar has completely dissolved and the butter has melted. Bring to a boil, stir for a moment or two, allowing the sauce to heat through and the sugar to caramelise slightly before turning off the heat. Take a chopstick and poke a few holes in the freshly baked pudding. Pour over halve the sauce and allow to soak in for 5-10 minutes before serving with extra sauce on the side.
This works well served with some vanilla ice cream or just with the toffee sauce, either way its the perfect way to end a meal.
Notes
* Check your gluten free flour blend – if it doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum then I recommend you add some for this recipe but be careful, you should only need 1/4 tsp here
** Chia Eggs are an egg substitute – 1 chia egg can be made by mixing 1 tbsp of ground chia seeds (measure after grinding) in 3 tbsp of water and leaving to stand for at least 10-15 mins to allow the moisture to be absorbed. You’ll be left with a grey, jelly like substance which works very well in baking
Allergy Notes; This is gluten free and vegan – if nuts are an allergen for you then try substituting a soy based cream for the cashew cream.
