I love that these are individually made, the batter easily whipped up in a saucepan and served with creamy delicious good quality ice cream over a sticky syrupy sauce which all comes together for a decadent dessert!
I absolutely love being gifted ingredients I can bake with. So when my dear friend Najmin, offered some yummylicious sweet dates during Raya this year, I immediately started scouting for a recipe. I truly was not a fan of dates growing up, but oh how things have changed. Now my son and I enjoy them. They are easy to freeze and are high in fiber.
The true beauty of this recipe is twofold. Firstly it serves up easily as I bake them individually in muffin cases (no slicing of cake involved which is a plus for me!), and the batter is made in a saucepan (no mixer involved).
We start by placing pitted dates and some water in a saucepan. While it comes to a boil I add in some butter and baking soda (this helps to break down the tough outer skin to allow it to soften quicker).
I then use a masher and mash up the contents which breaks down pretty easily. I then add in some self-raising flour and caster sugar and give it all a good mix and …. the batter is ready!
The recipe only makes 6 invidividual puddings (the recipe can easily be doubled). I use my silicone muffin liners and bake them at 170C for 15 mins.
While the muffins are baking, using the same saucepan I make the syrup which just involves plonking in whipping cream, sugar and butter (if you want you may add some golden syrup or maple syrup). I’ve made this syrup twice—once without either golden or maple syrup, and the second time with maple syrup. To be honest, I didn’t notice a significant difference between the two.
And then come the fun part – the assembling. I serve this dessert with vanilla ice cream. I also poke holes into the muffin with a skewer just so the syrup will absorb into the pudding. I add the ice cream on top and pour the sauce over. The puddings are best served from the oven, however they can be kept in the fridge and also reheated right before serving.
Double the recipe! If not, this nicely makes a good dessert for an intimate gathering of friends and family. I found the original recipe here but have tweaked the cooking time and temperature, added in more dates and lessen the cream in the sticky sauce.
Did you try this recipe?
Please do let me know if you've tried it, by leaving a comment or tagging me on IG @thesuddencook.
Individual Sticky Date Pudding
Ingredients
Puddings
- 150 g Pitted dates
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 30 g butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
- 112 g Self-raising flour
- 80 g Caster Sugar
Butterscotch Sauce
- 150 g Brown sugar
- 200 ml Whipping cream
- 20 g Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170C and get your muffin pan/liners or cases ready.
- Place dates and water into a small saucepan and bring to boil. Add in the butter and baking soda. Switch off flame and stir. Remove from heat. Use a masher and mash the contents until a paste is formed. Add in eggs and vanilla essence and mix. Stir in self-raising flour and sugar and mix well. Your batter is ready.
- Divide batter equally between six muffin holes.
Sticky Butterscotch Sauce
- Place all the ingredients in the same saucepan. Stir over medium heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir and remove from heat.
Assembling
- I like to get the sauce and ice cream ready for the assembling. Use a skewer to pierce some holes in the puddings. Place the ice cream beside or on top of the pudding and pour the sauce over. Be generous with the sauce!
Notes
- For this recipe to be a success, I highly recommend good quality dates and ice cream!
- When mashing the boiled dates mixture, try and ensure they are mashed well and no big chunks remain (they fall apart easily).
- Every oven is different and baking timings may depend on your oven.
