One of my family’s all time favourite puddings. We have this on Christmas Day instead of Christmas pudding. If you want to make this pudding for Christmas, or any special occasion, you can make it in advance and freeze it or keep in fridge for up to 5 days. To warm it up, slice it and microwave each slice for about 30 seconds.
Ingredients:
150g chopped dates
280ml water
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
60g butter
150g white sugar
2 eggs
150g self-raising flour (can be gluten free)
Toffee Sauce:
200ml double cream
55g soft brown sugar
1 tablespoon black treacle
Start by softening the dates. Put them in a pan and add 280ml of cold water. Bring the water to the boil and then add the bicarbonate of soda. This will make the mixture bubble up, but let it simmer for a minute. Then take it off the heat and leave it to cool. When it is cool, liquidise the whole mixture if you have a food processor. If not, just chop and mash the dates as finely as you can and put them back in the water.
Whisk the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and the flour. Finally add the date mixture and make sure there are no pockets of flour which haven’t been blended in.
The mixture will be runny, unlike a cake batter, but don’t panic; this is how it is meant to be.
Bake in a lined loaf tin for 40 minutes at 180 degrees/160 degrees fan.
The toffee sauce couldn’t be easier, yet all your guests will be impressed that you have made it yourself. When you are ready to eat the pudding, put all the ingredients into a pan and warm it until the sugar and treacle have dissolved and the cream is warm. Keep your eye on it and take it off the heat as soon as the sugar and treacle have dissolved. Don’t allow it to boil.
Simple!
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