Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce

Sticky date pudding is a properly good pud. Our recipe is easy, failsafe and comes with an irresistible toffee sauce. Perfect for when you’re stuck indoors and need a big dose of comfort!

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS

300 grams pitted dates, roughly chopped
100 grams butter, diced
1 cup water
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup golden syrup
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1¼ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, size 7, lightly whisked
TO SERVE
Toffee sauce (see recipe below)
Vanilla bean ice cream
TOFFEE SAUCE
1 cup brown sugar
120 grams butter, diced
⅔ cup cream
YOU'LL ALSO NEED...
a 4 to 5-cup capacity baking dish

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan bake.

Put the dates, butter, water, brown sugar, golden syrup and salt in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Use a potato masher to crush everything together to form a rough paste. Set aside for 20 minutes then stir in the baking soda. It will bubble up.

Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the warm date mixture along with the eggs.

Fold everything together, making sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter.

Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes until firm to the touch.

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream and the warm toffee sauce.

TOFFE SAUCE: Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken a little. If making ahead, re-warm to serve. MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS