Lyle’s golden syrup comes in the most ornate and nostalgic of tins, but the syrup inside often proves almost impossible to extract entirely. Turn what might otherwise be wasted into this luxurious toffee sauce to savour on Bonfire Night, especially when drizzled generously over cinnamon baked apples with scoops of vanilla ice-cream.
Toffee sauce with baked apples
Apples transform beautifully when baked, turning this hyper-seasonal fruit into a super-simple yet decadent dessert. I prefer cox or braeburn varieties (ie, something not too large), so you can serve one apple per person.
Gordon Ramsay’s recipes are my go-to for traditional techniques that deliver reliable results. Here, I’ve adapted his recipe for caramel sauce to make use of every last drop from a golden syrup tin, reduced the amount of sugar, and added sea salt and optional vanilla to heighten the quintessential taste of British toffee. (The invert sugars in golden syrup are the secret to achieving a silky-smooth toffee sauce, because sugar alone can recrystallise, leaving it grainy.) If you don’t have golden syrup, glucose syrup or honey also work well.
This versatile sauce works with all manner of desserts, from a classic banana split to these baked apples with ice-cream. The warm sauce melts seductively over the hot fruit, creating a wonderful juxtaposition of flavours, textures and temperatures. Keep any excess sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or for a few months in the freezer.
Serves 6-8
For the toffee sauce
2-3 tbsp golden syrup (I used the dregs of a tin), or glucose syrup or honey
180g sugar (white or brown)
½ tsp sea salt
150ml double cream
50g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
For the apples
6 medium dessert apples
60g sultanas or raisins
30g sugar
30g butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Cream or ice-cream, to serve
To get every last drop from a tin of golden syrup, pour in about 100ml boiling water and, holding the tin in a cloth to protect your hand, swirl it around and scrape the sides with a spoon until clean. Tip this sweet liquid into a large pan. (If you’re not finishing off a tin, simply measure two or three spoonfuls of syrup into a pan and add 100ml hot water instead.) Sprinkle in the sugar and salt, set the pan on a medium heat and swirl (rather than stir) the pan occasionally, until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Leave the syrup to bubble gently without touching it, then, once you see the sugar at the base of the pan start to colour, swirl again so the mix caramelises evenly. Once it’s golden brown, take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in the double cream (the caramel will bubble up, so stand back), then stir to make a smooth sauce. Add the butter and vanilla, if using, and stir again until glossy. Serve hot or transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5, and core the apples. In a bowl, mash the sultanas, sugar, butter and cinnamon, then press this mixture into the hollow of each apple. Sit each apple in a hole of a muffin tray, to catch all the juices, then bake for 25–30 minutes, until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Serve warm topped with some toffee sauce and perhaps a spoonful of cream or ice-cream.
