Sticky Date Pudding
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
7 - 9 people
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Course
Dessert
Sticky Date Pudding
Description
The Sticky Date Pudding recipe begins by soaking dates in boiling water with baking soda to soften them and create a lumpy, porridge-like mash, which adds moisture and sweetness to the batter. The batter combines butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder to produce a dense cake that holds the dates throughout.
Baked at moderate oven temperature for about 35 minutes, the pudding is then pierced with holes to absorb generous amounts of hot butterscotch sauce made from brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla. This sauce adds a glossy, buttery sweetness that complements the natural caramel notes of the dates.
Sticky Date Pudding is traditionally served warm, often with ice cream or cream to balance its richness and sweetness. The pudding's moist crumb and soft texture come from the date mash and sauce soaking, making it comforting and indulgent.
The notes suggest prunes as an alternate to dates with adjustment to soaking method, and using pudding moulds or muffin tins for individual servings. Sauce quantities may be more than needed, allowing for extra serving. The pudding keeps well and reheats gently to maintain moisture.
Ingredients
- 280g / 9 oz dates roughly chopped (Note 1, pitted
- 1 tsp baking soda or bi carb soda
- 1 cup water boiling
- 1/4 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
- 80g / 6 tbsp butter softened, unsalted
- 2 egg at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Butterscotch Sauce:
- 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed
- 1 1/2 cups thickened cream (heavy cream)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 70g / 5 tbsp butter unsalted
Serving:
- Ice cream or dolloping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
- Grease 7 pudding moulds (Note 2) with butter or grease and line a 20 cm / 8" square cake pan with overhang.
Mashed Dates:
- Place dates in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Pour over boiling water. Stand 10 minutes, then mash well with a potato masher (or fork) until it resembles sloppy porridge (see video for texture / thickness). (Note 3)
Batter:
- Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined and smooth.
- Add eggs, beat until incorporated.
- Add flour then sprinkle baking powder across the surface. Mix until flour is incorporated.
- Add dates, mix quickly until dates are well incorporated into the batter. (Note 2) Follow directions to make one pudding or individual ones.
One Pudding:
- Pour into cake pan, smooth surface. Bake 35 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While still hot, poke about 40 holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch Sauce, leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Use overhang to lift cake out. Cut, serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.
Baking Individual Puddings:
- Pour batter into pudding moulds, only fill 2/3 of the way up.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While still hot, poke about 10 holes on the surface of the pudding. Spoon over 1 tbsp of Butterscotch Sauce per Pudding. Leave to soak 10 minutes.
- Turn pudding moulds upside down on serving plate. Serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.
Butterscotch Sauce:
- Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir, then bring to simmer.
- Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once, then remove from heat. Serve warm.
Notes
- Prunes can replace dates by simmering in boiling water before mashing as directed for dates.
- Fill pudding moulds or muffin tins about two-thirds full to allow room for sauce absorption.
- The butterscotch sauce recipe yields extra; use leftover sauce for serving or refrigerate for later.
- Poking holes in the baked pudding before adding sauce helps it soak in and darken the sponge.
- This pudding reheats well in a microwave to retain moisture, making leftovers enjoyable.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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