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Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce

This comforting date pudding is a delightful blend of sweet, gooey dates and rich caramel sauce, perfect for any occasion.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Comfort Food
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Date Pudding
  • 200 g pitted dates, chopped Using soft, moist dates yields the best results.
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 1/3 cups boiling water Pour over dates and let sit until cooled.
  • 80 g soft butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed For pudding.
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp orange rind, finely grated
For the Caramel Sauce
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 cup pure cream
  • 100 g butter, chopped

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) and grease and line the base of a 22 cm square cake pan.
  2. Toss the chopped dates with bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, letting it sit until cooled.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the soft butter with 3/4 cup brown sugar until light and creamy. Add the lightly beaten eggs one by one and mix in the vanilla essence.
  4. Sift together the self-raising flour, ground cinnamon, and orange rind. Fold this dry mixture into the wet mixture, then gently incorporate the cooled date mixture.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Making the Caramel Sauce
  1. While baking, prepare the caramel sauce by combining the caramel sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmering for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
Serving
  1. Serve Date Pudding warm, cut into squares, drizzled with caramel sauce, and optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

For the ultimate experience, serve your date pudding warm. Consider adding a pinch of sea salt to your caramel sauce for a delightful sweet-salty contrast. If you enjoy experimenting, try adding spices like nutmeg or using dark brown sugar for a richer caramel flavor. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.