Sticky Date Pudding

Sticky date pudding is one of the classic Aussie recipes I feel a lot of us grew up with, and this one is super simple. As you know, I’m not really a baker (and neither is my friend Jiny, who I cooked this with), but I think we nailed it. Give this classic a try and you’ll never want to order it out again.

Serves: 8
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 35–40 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Oven: 160°C fan-forced

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Ingredients

Pudding

250g pitted dates, chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g unsalted butter, softened
165g brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla powder (or vanilla bean paste)
225g (1½ cups) self-raising flour

Sticky toffee sauce

150g unsalted butter
330g brown sugar
300ml thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla powder
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced. Grease a deep 20cm square cake pan and line it with baking paper.
To make the pudding, put the dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl. Pour over 215ml boiling water, give it a stir and let it stand for 10–15 minutes.
Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. An electric mixer, hand beaters or a wooden spoon (if you’re feeling strong) all work.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. It might look a bit curdled, but don’t worry, this is all good.
Sift in the flour and 1 pinch of salt, and gently fold through. Stir through the date mixture, including all the lovely liquid. The batter is quite wet, and that’s how you want it.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. It may sink slightly in the middle, which is normal for a sticky date.
To make the sauce, while the pudding bakes, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, cream and vanilla powder, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes or until thickened.
While the pudding is still warm and in the pan, poke a few holes in the top with a skewer and pour over a good amount of the warm sauce. Let it soak in.
Serve big slabs in bowls with more sauce over the top and ice-cream.