If you’re looking for something sweet, indulgent and warming for the rainy Easter long weekend ahead, look no further than this rich sticky date pudding smothered in butterscotch sauce by Project Sweet Stuff.
I’ve always had a sweet tooth – no surprises there. But there’s something about fruitcake that I could never fall in love with. Dried fruit like sultanas and raisins have no place in my life, mainly because I’d rather eat the fresh stuff. I clearly remember the first time I tried sticky date pudding and it was a bit of a fight to get the fork to my lips… I had no idea my life was about to change.
When I decided to start baking Sticky Date Pudding, I knew I had to find a way around the ‘roughly chopped’ dates. It wasn’t until I baked it in Pittsburgh and used a date paste in place of chopped chunky bits. This deliciously naughty cake has been – by far – the most highly requested dessert in my entire career as the family cake dealer. I make it every Christmas, Easter, and at least twice on every visit to see my family in the US.
Trust me, you’ll be making this again.
Sticky Date Pudding
300 grams Pitted dates
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
600ml boiling Water
120 grams unsalted butter
200 grams brown sugar
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
2 Eggs
460 grams Plain Flour
3 teaspoons Baking powder
Butterscotch sauce
800 grams brown sugar
400 grams unsalted butter 450ml Cream
Double cream for serving
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degreesC
2. Spray and flour a 10” square or round cake tin to prevent the pudding from sticking while baking.
3. In a food processor, process the dates. Add a tablespoon of water and continue to process to make a paste. Place dates into a mixing bowl and mix the dates and bicarb soda together.
4. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let sit for 10 minutes to soften the dates.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, butter and vanilla bean extract and whisk until creamy. Add in the eggs, then the cooled down date mixture.
6. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and then fold through into the date mixture.
7. Pour cake mix into your prepared cake tin.
8. Bake at 180 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a skewer – the skewer should come out clean, or with small sticky crumbs, not wet.
9. Turn the cake onto a cooling rack.
Butterscotch sauce
In a medium saucepan, boil the cream, sugar and butter. This should take about 5 to ten minutes on medium heat. The sauce will thicken and turn caramel in colour.
Serve the cake warm with hot butterscotch sauce and a generous dollop of double cream.
This recipe is an adaptation of Pete Evans’ Sticky Date Pudding recipe from Short Orders.
Photo by Shayben Moussa
