Date, Apricot and Walnut pudding with Date Molasses Caramel Sauce
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes
Medium
Serves 8 people
This pudding has simialrities to sticky toffee pudding, with a few extra additions. The sweetness of the dried apricots and crunch of the walnuts adds an extra alyer to the pudding. Date Molasses has just the right balance of being both runny and sticky and adds a deep, rich flavour to both the cake, and the all important caramel sauce. Best enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and plenty of extra sauce.
Ingredients
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For the pudding:
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275g boiling water
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110g chopped dates
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110g chopped dried apricots
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1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
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275g self-raising flour
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2 tsp baharat (if you don’t have baharat, use 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp ground ginger)
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105g golden caster sugar
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90g unsalted butter (room temperature)
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3 tbsp Date Molasses
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3 eggs (room temperature)
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1 tbsp instant coffee or 2 shots espresso
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100g chopped roasted walnuts
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For the sauce:
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150g unsalted butter
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150g Date Molasses
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150g double cream
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50g light brown sugar
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Vanilla ice cream to serve
Method
- Step 0: Pre heat your oven to 170C fan/190C non-fan. Place the chopped dates, apricots and bicarb of soda in a bowl and pour over the boiling. Leave to cool until around 30C then add the instant coffee and stir to dissolve. Grease and line a 19-22cm square metal tin with baking paper.
- Step 1: In a stand mixer, combine the caster sugar and softened butter and beat with a paddle until pale and creamy. Add the date molasses and continue to beat until incorporated. Whilst the butter is mixing, combine the flour and baharat and put to one side.
- Step 2: Crack the eggs into a bowl then slowly add a little at a time to the butter mixture, allowing it to fully incorporate before you add more. The mixture will probably split, but don’t worry. Add around a third of the flour and mix on a low speed until combined, then add some of the liquid from the fruit to loosen. Repeat until all the flour and liquid has been added in just mixed, so you have a loose batter. Using a spatula, fold through the soaked fruits and walnuts, then pour into the baking tin. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, turning halfway through. It’s cooked when a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. If reheating, wrap with foil and place in an oven at 150C until hot in the centre, or microwave for a few minutes.
- Step 3: While the pudding is in the oven, make the sauce by combining the butter, date molasses, double cream, and brown sugar in a small pan. Bring to the boil then simmer for a minute then turn off.
- Step 4: Divide the pudding then place in a bowl and top with a generous amount of the sauce, then finish with a scoop of ice cream.
