Sticky Date Tart with Toffee Sauce

Hello, remember me? It's been a while. Life's been hectic, but I still make time to bake and snap and eat.

Sticky Date Tart with Toffee Sauce 

slightly adapted from here

For the Pastry:

225g plain flour

Pinch salt

125g chilled unsalted, butter, chopped

1 egg yolk

Chilled water

For the Filling:

240g pitted dates, chopped

150ml milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g plain flour, sifted

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons golden syrup

100g brown sugar

20g flaked almonds and icing sugar, for sprinkling

For the Sauce:

200g brown sugar

Pinch salt

50g unsalted butter

300ml cream

Make the Pastry:

Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt into a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons chilled water and pulse again until it comes together. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Grease a 36cm x 12cm rectangular loose-bottomed tart pan. Roll out the pastry to 5mm thick and line the tray with it, tramming the excess pastry and pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

Line the chilled tart shell with baking paper and fill with pastry weights. Blind bake for 8 minutes, then remove the weights and paper and bake for a further 5 minutes, or until golden and dry. Set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160C.

Make the Filling:

Put the dates and milk into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmering point and remove from heat. Stir in the baking soda, then set aside for 30 minutes.

Place the dates and milk in a food processor with the vanilla and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl, then fold in the flour, eggs, golden syrup and brown sugar. Mix until just combined. Set aside to cool.

Make the Sauce:

Place the brown sugar, salt butter and cream in a saucepan over low heat, stir until the sugar dissolves. Cook for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.

Assemble the Tart:

Once the pastry case and the filling are cool, pour 80ml of the toffee sauce over the base, spreading it evenly. Next, spread the filling on top and scatter with almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just set. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with the remaining toffee sauce.