Sticky Date and Ginger Pudding

The homely flavours of fall. Warm, sticky and slightly spiced pudding, doused in a milky vanilla toffee sauce. The perfect marriage of dark molasses and ginger.

STICKY DATE AND GINGER PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

Makes 6-7 puddings, each the size of a regular cupcake.

PUDDING INGREDIENTS:

150g pitted dates, finely chopped (can be found in Phoon Huat)

15g crystallised ginger/ dried diced ginger (can be found in Phoon Huat)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup hot water

75g all purpose flour

pinch of salt

30g butter, rtp

60g dark brown sugar

15g white sugar

1 regular egg

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp ginger powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

TOFFEE SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

50g butter

3/4 cup heavy/ whipping cream

4.5 tbsp dark brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or more, depending on you!)

PUDDING STEPS:

1. Line your cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 170C, top and bottom setting.

2. Chop up your dates and crystallised ginger. Put them in a bowl. Pour hot water over. Add in baking soda and give the mix a little stir. Cover bowl and set aside.

3. Using a whisk, cream together room temperature butter, dark brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl till well combined.

4. Add in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk. Whisk together till well combined and no butter lumps remain,

5. Sift in flour, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Using a spatula, fold this in till just combined.

6. Using a fork (or a handheld blender), mash up your dates and ginger. The baking soda and hot water would have made your dates soft and mashable by now. If you're unlike me and would like your sticky date puddings to have chunks of dates in it (fruit cake vibes), you can mash the dates up a little less.

7. Pour in the mashed up date mix into your batter. Using a spatula, mix till evenly incorporated.

8. Fill your cupcake tins till about 3/4 full. Bake for 20min. In the meantime, make your toffee sauce!

TOFFEE STEPS:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt your butter.

2. Add in sugar and cream. Stirring constantly, allow the mixture to come to a boil.

3. Turn the fire down low and mix in salt and vanilla. Once the toffee sauce reaches a consistency you're happy with (it shouldn't be too runny, nor too thick), set aside to cool. It will form a layer on the surface as it cools, but no worries, just mix it all up again and the layer will dissolve back into the sauce.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Once your cupcakes/ puddings are out of the oven, use a toothpick to poke holes all over each pudding. I usually do about 16 holes per cupcake.

2. While the cupcakes are still warm, spoon warm toffee sauce all over the tops of the puddings, allowing the puddings to absorb all that flavourful goodness. Set aside till ready to serve.

3. Remove the cupcake liners and serve the puddings upside down. Top generously with more toffee sauce, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream mmmm....

These sticky date puddings are best eaten warm, served with additional warm toffee sauce and some ice cream and sea salt. Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm them up in the microwave ~15-20sec 900w and they should be moist and delicious again:)

Enjoy!

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NOTES

• If you're a bit of a perfectionist (unlike me), you can trim off the domes of your cupcakes/ puddings so that your puddings sit flat upside down. But I personally think it's cute for it to look like a little rolly polly!

• Crystallised ginger is optional, but I do like the kick and bite that it gives.

• Be sure not to skip Assembly step 1 & 2! It keeps the puddings moist to keep, and lends the puddings a lovely vanilla-milk flavour to accompany the taste of molasses, dates and ginger.