Sticky Date Pudding

                                           STICKY DATE PUDDING (Puka's version)

Ingredients

205 g stoned dates, chopped

250 mL (1cup) water

40 g butter (2 tablespoons)

2 extra large eggs

145 g brown sugar

185 g self-raisin flour

1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½  cup walnuts/pecans (optional), chopped

      Sauce

150 g brown sugar

150 mL cream

110 g butter

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

Preheat Fan-Forced oven to 170ºC.

To make the pudding, cook the dates in water until they reach a jammy consistency, stirring frequently to break them up.   Put into a large mixing bowl and mix in the sugar and butter.   Leave aside to cool.

Grease and line the bottom of a square tin 21 cm x 21 cm x 7 cm with Glad Bake.  Lightly whisk the eggs into the date mixture and add the vanilla essence.  Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over the flour and fold  into the date mixture with a metal spoon.   If nuts are used they should be stirred into the date mixture before folding in the flour.

 Pour into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf at 170ºC  for 50 minutes or until the pudding is cooked.   Turn out onto a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes, while preparing the sauce.

To make the sauce, place all the ingredients in a medium size saucepan, mix together and bring to the boil.  Turn the heat down and stir all the time until the butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Invert the pudding onto a serving dish, prick all over with a thin skewer and pour some of the sauce over it to soak in.

To serve, pour the remaining sauce over the pudding and serve with whipped cream.