Sticky Date Pudding

The first time I had sticky date pudding was when I was in my first year of University and staying at a residential college, and I fell in love with it instantly. It was during winter back then, so the warm and sticky pudding was really comforting. The weather has been getting colder in Melbourne now, so I decided to make this pudding to keep myself warm and reminisce about my University days.

Sticky Toffee Date Pudding from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2

200g pitted dates, finely chopped
1/3 cup boiling water
100g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

toffee sauce
200 g butter, chopped
1 cup cream
1 2/3 cup brown sugar

Place the dates in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside until the water has been absorbed. Preheat the oven to 180 c. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs gradually and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, add the milk and dates and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into a greased 8 inch square cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. While the pudding is cooking, make the toffee sauce. Place the butter, cream and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and simmer rapidly for 5-8 minutes or until the sauce is thick. To serve, cut the pudding into thick slices and pour over the warm toffee sauce. Serves 6.

Some people prefer to soak their cake inside the toffee sauce, but I find that overly sweet. Feel free to put as much sauce as you want, or none if you love the cake plain. I can say that the cake is great by itself too! Enjoy!