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Sticky Date Puddings with Butterscotch Sauce

Sticky Date Puddings with Butterscotch Sauce

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 8 or 5 mini-bundt sized portions – 83ml (1/3 cup) – if recipe is halved

Ingredients
  

For the cakes

  • Soft butter to grease ramekins (or butter and flour to prepare bundt tins)
  • 285 g 1-3/4 cups pitted dates, halved (I used gourmet Medjool dates)
  • 250 ml 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 80 g butter at room temperature
  • 100 g ½ cup caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 115 g ¾ cup self-raising flour, sifted
  • 75 g ½ cup plain flour, sifted

Butterscotch Sauce:

  • 150 g 5 oz golden syrup
  • 50 g 2 oz butter
  • 75 g 3 oz soft brown sugar
  • 50 g 2 oz golden granulated sugar (or white)
  • 150 ml 5 fl oz heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

To serve

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup crème fraiche
  • 1-2 Tbsp light muscovado sugar to taste
  • Lightly roasted pecan nuts optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). Put on a kettle of water to boil for the bain marie.
  • Brush a six hole 185ml (3/4 cup) muffin pan with melted butter to lightly grease and line the bases with non-stick baking paper. If using a mini-bundt pan, brush with soft butter then thoroughly dust with flour.
  • Combine the dates, water and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to soften. Use a fork to coarsely mash.
  • Use an electric beater to beat the butter and caster sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the date mixture and the combined flour. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces.
  • Place the muffin pan (or mini-bundt pan) in a roasting dish and carefully pour in enough boiling water to come no more than half way up the sides of whatever you’re using. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (my mini-bundt sized cakes cooked around 15-20 minutes) or until the surface of the cakes are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched, or a skewer comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for about 5 minutes to stand before turning the cakes onto a wire rack. You’ll see that, given the cakes have been cooked in a bain marie, the bottoms of the cake (which will be the tops when inverted) are very soft and not browned – this is normal.
    Sticky Date Puddings with Butterscotch Sauce
  • While the cakes are cooking, place the golden syrup, butter and sugars in a small saucepan. Then place over a gentle heat and allow to slowly melt and dissolve, giving it a stir from time to time, which will take 5-7 minutes. Let it continue to cook at a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, then gradually stir in the double cream and vanilla extract until well combined. Take off heat and let it cool.
  • You can serve the puddings immediately if you like. However, it’s easy enough to make these ahead. I let my cakes cool completely. Then, a couple of hours before serving, I placed the puddings onto serving plates and poured 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce over each pudding, and simply let them steep in the sauce – the puddings became beautifully moist and flavoursome. When it came time to serve, I microwaved each of the puddings for 15 seconds on high (until they’re just slightly warm), topped with the creme fraiche/cream mixture, then drizzled more sauce over top. If you want, you can also add chopped roasted nuts over top.
Keyword Butterscotch sauce, Puddings, Sticy dates
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