Date Pudding

Why not Eat Dessert first?  This traditional Date Pudding will have you going back for seconds.

Ingredients:

Pudding
60g unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup fine caster sugar
2 extra large eggs
1 ½ cups chopped pitted dates
1 cup boiling water
1 tspn bicarb soda
1 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ tspn vanilla essence

Butterscotch Sauce
125g unsalted butter
1 cup fine caster sugar
300ml thickened cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

2. Using a sharp knife, chop pitted dates and place in a bowl.

3. Mix chopped dates with bicarb soda in the bowl.

4. Pour over the boiling water, stir, cover with cling wrap and allow to soften for 30 minutes.

5. Using a hand beater, cream soft butter with sugar and vanilla essence.

6. Add eggs, one at a time, beat well. Don’t be in a hurry as you will split the emulsion of the egg and sugar.

7. Using a metal spoon, fold in the twice-sifted flour. Stir in the softened dates.

8. Pour into a greased, ovenproof baking dish. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until firm when tested in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to stand.

To make the Butterscotch Sauce:

1. In a heavy base saucepan, spread sugar evenly across base and cook over a moderate high heat. Once the sugar begins to caramelize, carefully shake saucepan and allow to be come a caramel colour. Do not stir, simply move the saucepan over the heat.

2. Carefully remove from heat. Add butter to caramelized sugar and immediately pour over cream.

3. Return to a low heat and using a clean wooden spoon, gently stir cream until caramel is smooth with no lumps.

4. Serve warm pudding into centre of bowl. Be generous with the butterscotch, ice cream and/or thickened cream and serve with a light dust of icing sugar.