Sticky date pudding is a classic Kiwi dessert that warms our souls in the winter time. Naturally, I wanted an excuse to eat this not just when it was cold, but also make it a bit more presentable for guests. So here we have it in cake form! I made this one in a bundt tin as I thought it was a bit more Christmassy and put a splash of edible gold on it for some Christmas bling. I've adorned mine with caramel sauce and toasted walnuts but it goes without saying, it's best served hot with ice cream!
Serves 12
Cake
250g pitted dates, chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups boiling water
100g butter (at room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp water
50g butter
1/2 cup cream or coconut cream
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease or line a cake tin with butter and baking paper. Bring a kettle to the boil.
Chop dates and place in a heat-proof bowl with baking soda. Cover with boiling water and then a lid/plate. Set aside.
Place butter and sugar in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer. Use electric beaters to beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined each time.
Use a fork or potato masher to mash dates in water until a paste forms. Don't worry if there are some chunky dates left behind, this creates a nice texture in the cake. Add to bowl with eggs and mix to combine.
Use a spatula to fold in ginger, cinnamon, flour, baking powder and salt. This is quite a runny cake mixture, don't be frightened.
Transfer mixture to prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes (depending on the size of your cake tin) until a knife inserted comes out clean. There may be bits of date on the kinfe, thats OK. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove from tin.
To make caramel sauce, place sugar and water in a small pot on medium heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved and starts to turn a dark amber colour. Carefully add the butter (it will bubble and spit) and stir continuously. Add cream/coconut cream and salt and stir to combine. Transfer to a jar or serving jug and allow to cool slightly (this is piping hot straight out of the pot!) before serving.
Serve your cake heated with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and any toasted nuts you fancy.
