Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Sticky date pudding is the dessert people ask for by name. Moist, deeply caramelised sponge, soaked through with warm butterscotch sauce and finished with ice cream or cream, it’s rich, comforting and always a crowd-pleaser. Source your dates and pantry staples from  Queen Victoria Market – get them delivered straight to your door or via Click & Collect!

Makes one large pudding (serves 8) or 7 individual puddings

Ingredients

Pudding

• 280g pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 80g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1¼ cups plain flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder

Butterscotch sauce

• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1½ cups thickened cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 70g unsalted butter

To serve

• Ice cream or cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with an overhang on two sides, or grease 7 individual pudding moulds.
2. Place the chopped dates in a bowl and sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda. Pour over the boiling water and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then mash with a fork or potato masher until it forms a thick, porridge-like paste.
3. Beat the butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until combined.
4. Add the flour, sprinkle the baking powder over the top, and mix until just incorporated. Fold through the mashed dates until evenly combined.

For one large pudding

1. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
2. While still hot, poke about 40 holes across the surface with a skewer. Pour over ½ cup of the warm butterscotch sauce and leave to soak in for 10 minutes.
3. Lift the pudding out using the paper overhang, slice and serve warm with the remaining sauce and ice cream or cream.

For individual puddings

1. Divide the batter between the prepared molds, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
2. While still hot, poke about 10 holes into the top of each pudding and spoon over roughly 1 tablespoon of warm butterscotch sauce per pudding. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
3. Turn out onto serving plates and serve warm with the remaining sauce and ice cream or cream.

Butterscotch sauce

1. Place all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, stir well and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once, then remove from the heat. Serve warm.

Adapted from a classic sticky date pudding recipe.