STICKY DATE PUDDING
Sticky date pudding is a warm, moist sponge cake made with finely chopped dates folded into a buttery batter, traditionally steamed or baked until tender, then generously drizzled with a rich, glossy toffee or butterscotch sauce that soaks into the cake for a gooey finish. Typically served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s a comforting, sweet dessert favourite in Australian and British kitchens, beloved for its caramelised flavours, tender crumb and indulgent sauce.
This recipe comes direct from my bestie and elite dessert cook Tom Levick, which was used as a winning dish on our season of Masterchef. It’s a wonderful beginner bake and is so easy to put together, as well as coming together in a fairly quick amount of time. make sure to jump in when it’s hot, because in winter there is nothing better.
STICKY DATE PUDDING
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STICKY DATE PUDDING 〰️
Time: 1 hour + 10 minutes
Serves: 6
190g pitted dates (about 15 large dates)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml boiling water
100g unsalted butter, room temp
140g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp sea salt
180g (1 1/2 cups) self raising flour
Extra butter and flour, to grease the tin
Butterscotch Sauce
200g (1 cup lightly packed) light brown sugar
125g unsalted butter
100g thickened cream
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Preheat an oven to 180 celcius.
Chop the dates into roughly 1cm pieces. Place the dates in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and pour the boiling water over the top. Let sit for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and the colour lightens. Beat in eggs and sea salt until combined. Fold in self raising flour until just combined. Once 30 minutes has elapsed, add the date mixture in three additions, fully incorporating the mixture between each addition.
Prepare your baking tin/dish by buttering and flouring the sides, and lining the bottom with some baking paper. This recipe makes one large pudding in a 22cm x 22cm square tin, or you can use individual tins/moulds.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Once the pudding is in the oven, prepare your butterscotch sauce. Combine brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat on a stove. Once boiling, add cream and sea salt, and boil whilst stirring continuously for three minutes. Transfer to a serving jug.
Once the pudding is cooked, invert to remove from tin, portion into pieces, and serve topped with vanilla ice cream and warm butterscotch sauce.