Imagine the warm, sweet aroma of Sticky Date Pudding wafting through your kitchen, creating a cosy and inviting atmosphere. This recipe is your ticket to a delicious dessert that combines the rich, deep flavour of dates with a sumptuous caramel sauce that’s simply irresistible.
Ingredients:
- 250g stoned dates, chopped
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
- Caramel sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 300ml heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60g butter
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a baking tin.
Place the chopped dates in a bowl, add the bicarbonate of soda and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for about 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, cream the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gently fold in the sifted self-raising flour until just combined.
Add the softened date mixture to the dough and mix well.
Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
While the custard is baking, make the caramel sauce by combining the brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly.
When the pudding is ready, allow it to cool slightly before pouring over the warm caramel sauce.
Serve warm with a scoop of cream or vanilla ice cream.
