We’re Eating Up Kate Middleton’s Favorite Dessert Recipe

Kate Middleton has impeccable taste and composure. We cannot argue with her choice of men, her Jenny Packham dresses, or even her pregnancy cravings. She looks more poised and put-together disembarking a plane with the wind whipping at her hair and hemline than we do after a five minute walk to the corner store. Did we mention she was on said transport for 27 hours with her teething nearly-nine-month-old? Kate, you never cease to amaze.

And yet, despite her apparent perfection–her self-professed “perfect” childbirth, her impossibly svelte post-baby figure, and that hair–we can’t help but love the down-to-earth Duchess. Just like us, Kate enjoys nothing more than playing with her little prince, even letting him nibble upon those long, painstakingly primped locks.

All this talk of hunger, sweetness, and things Kate enjoys brings us to another point on which the Duchess and us laypeople totally relate. Prince William may be partial to banana flan (another recipe for another time), but we’re more partial to toffee. This moist and spongy dessert recipe is a favorite of the Duchess’, and like a good Gina Foster pillbox hat, its merit is indisputable.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

For Pudding:
8 ounces pitted dates, chopped
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup softened buttered (3 1/2 tablespoons for batter, use the rest to butter the pan)
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons black treacle or dark molasses
1 tablespoon Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups self-rising cake flour
1 tablespoon baking soda

For Toffee Sauce:
1/2 cup superfine sugar
7 tablespoons butter
6 ounces English double cream

Directions
1. In a bowl, cover dates with boiling water. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit. Place a roasting pan filled with about 1 inch of water into the oven.
3. Butter a nine inch by nine inch pan. Dust with flour. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat 3 1/2 tablespoons butter with sugar until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add treacle, Golden Syrup and vanilla. Mix until just combined. On low speed, add the flour.
4. In a food processor, puree the dates. Stir in the baking soda and stir the mixture into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Place in roasting pan and bake about 35 minutes until top is just firm. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt sugar and butter until mixture turns a deep amber color. Watch closely so it does not burn. Slowly mix in the double cream. Be careful: It will bubble up at first. Once all the cream is added, cook mixture until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Cut cake into squares and serve with sauce and vanilla ice cream.