Sticky date pudding with toffee sauce recipe

Moist and sweet, full of sticky dates and lots of caramel flavour, serve up this delicious dessert that everyone will love.

Serves: 6
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

For the puddings:

• 250g (1½ cups) deseeded dried dates, roughly chopped into small pieces
• 312ml (1¼ cups) water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 60g (1/4 cup) salted butter, chopped roughly
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• 188g (1¼ cups) self-raising flour
• 150g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• Peacans for decorating

For the toffee sauce:

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 60g butter
• 300ml pure cream

 
Method:

For the puddings:

• Place the dates and the water in a medium saucepan over high heat.
• When the date mixture starts to boil, add the bicarb soda and the butter and remove from the heat.
• Set saucepan aside and allow the mixture to cool for 25 mins. During this time the butter will melt.
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees If you have a fan-forced oven preheat it to 160 degrees.
• Grease 6⅔ cup capacity muffin pans or ramekins.
• Transfer the date mixture to a medium mixing bowl.
• Using a hand-held beater or whisk, add the eggs and vanilla to date mixture until combined (this should take less than 30 seconds).
• Mix the flour and brown sugar together, breaking up any lumps of sugar.
• Add the flour/sugar mixture to the date mixture and fold through until combined.
• Spoon mixture into prepared pans.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pans for 5 mins and then turn upside down on a plate.
• Smother with toffee sauce and serve with ice cream and crushed or crumbled pecans ontop.

For the toffee sauce (makes 2 cups): 

• Place sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Cook, stirring, without boiling, for 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil.
• Once at the boil, reduce heat to low.
• Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.