Dids … the Sticky Toffee Orange “stand-alone” recipes

Just four elements – all can be made or prepped ahead, ready to assemble when you are!

The cake

200g pitted dates, roughly chopped

1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

200ml boiling water

80g unsalted butter, softened

150g soft brown sugar

2 large eggs

180g self-raising flour

Pre-heat your oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4. You'll need a loaf tin – 24x10cms/9½x5¼” approximately - you can grease the tin or use a loaf liner – much more convenient!

Place the chopped dates in a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the bicarb and then the boiling water. Leave to stand for 10 minutes then blitz in a food processor to a rough purée.

Using a hand mixer or elbow grease if you prefer, cream the butter and sugar until thick and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then follow gradually with the flour, finally add the date mixture. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool. Double wrap in foil and store in a cool, dark place until you're ready.

Toffee Sauce

100g soft brown sugar

200ml double cream

½ tsp vanilla bean paste

40g unsalted butter

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring over a medium heat until thickened – 2 minutes. Box and cool, then fridge.

Both the cake and the sauce can be frozen.

The Walnuts

100g walnuts, chopped roughly

pinch of sea salt flakes

knob of unsalted butter

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan until it foams. Tip in the walnuts and add the sea salt flakes. Stir them for 3-4 minutes until toasted. Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool then box and fridge.

The orange segments

I love oranges – what I don't love is the pith and tough outer membrane around each segment.

To achieve the perfect segment you'll need a serrated knife – I use a bread knife - CAREFULLY. Top and tail your orange and then follow the shape of the orange with the knife and peel away a section at a time. Hold the orange in your left hand and using the serrated knife – very carefully – cut along the inside of the white membrane of the segment - I start on the left side of a segment then repeat on the right. Repeat until you finish with perfect segments and the discarded membranes.

Reserve any residual orange juice to drizzle over the cubed sticky toffee cake.

You'll get 10 segments from a large orange – navel are the best. Prep your segments ahead, box and fridge until you're ready to assemble.

Assembly

A glass sundae dish is perfect – place the small cubes

of cake in the bottom, add a drizzle of the reserved orange juice

Add a generous drizzle of the toffee sauce, sprinkle over the salted

walnuts and top with segments of fresh orange

Finally and entirely optional, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream

or clotted cream or a generous glug of double cream – choose

your guilty pleasure!

This dessert is definitely “fly by the seat of your pants” the size of the portion is up to you – a few cubes of cake, a drizzle of this and a sprinkle of that, topped with fresh segments of orange and optional extras.

It's surprising how the simplest of ideas become part of your “go to” “never fail” file!

Up next … speaking of trifle