Month: February 2026

Sticky Toffee Pudding

I have baked a vegan version but I wanted to try the traditional version.

Ingredients
1 bag of tea
200g fresh Medjool dates
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grating nutmeg
85g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing (at room temperature)
85g dark muscovado sugar (I used brown)
170g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Carame Sauce:
125g unsalted butter
62.5g dark muscovado sugar (I used brown)
62.5g white caster sugar
optional 1 shot dark rum
200ml double cream

Serving

  • Vanilla ice cream

Process

  • Pre-heat oven at 180C
  • Chop the dates and cover in boiling water until soft with a tea bag
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Add the eggs to the butter/sugar, the add the flour. Pinch of salt
  • In a hand blender or similar, add the dates with some water and the spices.
  • Add the date mix to the butter/sugar/flour. Combine properly
  • Grease a pan with butter and flour. Pour the mix.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes. Use a stick or knife to be sure the cake is ready (should come up clean)
  • Prepare the caramel sauce, in a pan, add the butter and two types of sugar. When it is boiling add the the shot and wait for the alcohol to evaporate.
  • Add the cream and mix for 1 minute to avoid burning. The more you cook the sauce, the thicker will get later on.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat.
  • Once the cake is ready, make some holes in the top and pour the caramel sauce on the top, use a brush to cover the whole surface.

For serving

Cut a portion, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a bit of caramel on top.

It was really tasty. I wonder how the restaurants serve it always warm! I guess the caramel sauce and cake can be pre-heated?

Happy with the result (room for improvement too)

The Storm before the storm

This book is about the end of the Roman Republic. How the social tension (abuse of politician taking taxes, slavery, etc), corruption (Senators taking bribes), unequal wealth distribution (few had property, Senator were super rich), immigration (Romans didnt want Italians to have Roman citizenship) evolved to violence, civil wars and finally the dictatorship of Sulla. There are many people mentioned in the book, how the rise to power and how they are killed (most of them). Looks like a routine. Most of them didnt know them. I guess we learn mostly the Emperors in school and not much about the Republic. One example is Marius.

It is striking how things are so similar more than 2000 years ago. I read the book as a recommendation as it shows what can happen to the current empire (USA). It can be pessimistic but you can see patterns, not just in USA but in the rest of the world.

And it is incredible how just one city, had some much influence in that region of the world. The republic expanded to feed Rome, to keep the price of grain low, to keep the population content… it is crazy.

There were a lot orators, but the power came mainly from serving in the legion, wining warns. The army is the base on any empire, old and new.