Sticky date pudding with caramel sauce

Serves:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates, chopped
• 1 cup water, boiling
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 200g Dark Cooking Chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 cup White Chocolate Melts
• 75g butter

Method

PUDDING

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line the base of a 30cm x 25cm x 2cm tin with waxed or baking paper.

Place the dates and boiling water in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring, over a moderate heat for 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick.

Remove from the heat, add the baking soda, butter, caster sugar and chocolate, and mix thoroughly.

Cool the mixture to room temperature.

Stir in the beaten eggs. Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir into the mixture.

Turn into the tin.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.

Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and remove the lining paper.

Cut the pudding into squares and serve.

CARAMEL SAUCE

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan.

Cook over a low heat, stirring, until the butter melts.

Stir in the cream and bring just to boiling point.

Remove from the heat and add the White Melts.

Stir until the sauce is smooth.

Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions

Note