Easy Sticky Date Pudding

Serves approximately 6

Now that it’s Winter I wanted to do something other than just your plain old chocolate pudding. This sticky date pudding recipe isn’t only easy, it’s absolutely delicious! This dessert goes perfectly with other winter warming dishes such as my Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

Batter:

• 280g dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
• 80g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

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Butterscotch Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1 1/2 cups thickened cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 70g unsalted butter

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Method:

Preparing the dates:

1. Place the dates in a small bowl and sprinkle over the baking soda then pour over the boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes to allow them to soften then mash them well with a potato masher or a fork till a sloppy porridge consistency.  

Batter:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºc or 160ºc if a fan forced oven. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin or alternatively you can grease 6 pudding molds (See in notes at the end)
2. Place butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until smooth then add eggs and beat until incorporated.
3. Add the flour then sprinkle over baking powder and fold until flour is incorporated.
4. Add the dates and mix quickly until dates are well incorporated.
5. Pour batter into a cake pan, smooth out the surface and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
6. While the pudding is still hot, poke about 40 holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch sauce (recipe below) and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
7. Cut and serve with ice cream or dollop cream and the remaining sauce!

Butterscotch Sauce:

1. Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, once all melted, stir, then bring to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once. Serve warm.

Note:

• To make individual sticky date puddings: Pour batter into pudding molds filling only 2/3 of the way. Bake them for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. While still hot poke about 10 holes in each pudding using a skewer. Spoon over 1 tbsp of the butterscotch sauce and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Turn the puddings out onto a serving plate and serve with remaining sauce and ice cream or dollop cream.

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