This rich, moist sticky date pudding is smothered in a luscious, velvety butter caramel sauce for the ultimate crowd-pleasing dessert.
My mother made the best sticky date pudding around, with lots of dates and lots of caramel sauce. This is her recipe, though I do always tinker.
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 280 g pitted dates, cut in half
- 450 ml water
- 1½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 90 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 225 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract or paste
- 3 eggs
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ice-cream or thick cream, to serve
Golden syrup butter caramel sauce
- 150 g caster sugar
- 30 ml water
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 120 g soft brown sugar
- 100 g golden syrup or light treacle
- 350 ml pouring cream
- 1 teaspoon salt flakes
Method
To make the caramel sauce
- Heat the caster sugar and water in a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and cook to a medium caramel, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir the butter through. Stir in the brown sugar to combine, then the golden syrup, cream and salt, stirring after each addition.
- Return to the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium–low and simmer until the caramel reaches 113°C.
- Pour into a jug and cool a little before using. If the sauce is too thick, loosen with a little hot water.
- The sauce can be made ahead of time, and reheated when required. It will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week.
To make the pudding
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 30 × 25 cm roasting tin and line with baking paper, or use a greased ceramic dish to serve directly at the table.
- Combine the dates and water in a saucepan over a medium heat, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir to break up the dates a little, then set aside.
- Using an electric stand mixer, whisk the butter and sugar on medium until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, whisking until combined.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon and ginger into a large bowl, then fold into the butter mixture. Next, fold in the date mixture to just combine.
- Pour the batter into the roasting tin or dish and bake for about 30–40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Stand the pudding for 2 minutes, then pour half the caramel sauce over. Scoop out portions and serve with ice-cream or cream, with the remaining sauce on the side.
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This is an edited extract from Cook Sweet by Karen Martini published by Hardie Grant Books. Photography: Armelle Habib.
