Prep Time: 10 mins      Cook Time: 1 hour 25 mins      Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups pitted dates, chopped

1 tsp bicarb soda

120g butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups self-raising flour, sifted

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Sauce

1 1/2 cups cream

90g butter

1 cup brown sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Combine dates and bicarb soda in a jug, cover with boiling water and set aside to soak for 30 mins.

Whisk butter, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl until pale and creamy. As you are whisking, stop twice to add eggs, one at a time, and also whisk in vanilla. Once the mixture is well combined, pour in date mixture (including the water it soaked in), and whisk to combine. Sift in flour, and at this stage, swap whisk with a wooden spoon and stir the flour into the wet ingredients, adding more flour if necessary.

Pour batter into a square cake tin lined with baking paper. You can also make individual puddings by dividing the batter between greased ramekins. Bake in oven for 45 mins, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean. Remove from oven when done and leave to cool slightly.

To make sauce, combine cream, sugar and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and once boiling, reduce the heat back down to low and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Use a fork to prick holes around the pudding, without trying to break it up. Pour a couple ladlefuls of sauce on top, allowing it to run into the holes. Place pudding back into oven for 5 more mins to reheat. Best served with a scoop of ice cream and extra sauce drizzled on top.

Notes

You will know when a cake is cooked when you insert a skewer into the centre and it comes out clean.

For extra flavour in the sauce, reduce down 1/2 cup brandy or whiskey before adding the rest of the sauce ingredients.

Best for…

Winter weekend nights, dinner parties, weekends