What Can I Use Instead Of Treacle For The Sticky Toffee Pudding?

Our answer

Nigella's Sticky Toffee Pudding (from AT MY TABLE) is a grown-up version of the original date-enriched sponge pudding as it uses treacle and dark muscovado or dark brown sugar that gives a slightly bitter edge to balance the caramel sweetness of the dates.

Treacle is a by-product created when raw sugar is refined. Juice extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets is boiled to produce sugar crystals. The liquid left behind becomes treacle and the colour and flavour will depend on how long it is boiled for. Golden syrup (originally called light treacle) is boiled for the shortest amount of time, darker treacle, also called molasses, is next and blackstrap molasses are boiled for the longest period of time and have the most robust taste. For the pudding we would use regular molasses, as this is the same as UK treacle. We would avoid using blackstrap molasses as this is slightly too bitter for the pudding.