Ingredients

1. 100g Butter
2. 175g Muscovado Sugar
3. 2 large Eggs
4. 225g Self-raising Flour
5. 1 tsp Baking Powder
6. 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
7. 3 tbs Black Treacle
8. 275ml Milk
9. to serve Double Cream
10. 100g Butter
11. 125g Muscovado Sugar
12. 1 tbs Black Treacle
13. 300ml Double Cream
14. 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

How to prepare

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Butter a wide shallow 1.7-litre/3-pint ovenproof dish. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and treacle into a mixing bowl. Beat using an electric handheld whisk for about 30 seconds or until combined. Pour in the milk gradually and whisk again until smooth. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until well risen and springy in the centre. To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Bring to the boil, stirring for a minute. To serve, pour half the sauce over the pudding in the baking dish. Serve with the cream or ice cream.

Ingredients

1. 225g Medjool dates
2. 175ml Boiling water
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 175g self-raising flour
5. 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
6. 2 eggs
7. 85g butter
8. 140g demerara sugar
9. 2 tbsp black treacle
10. 100ml milk
11. 1 scoop ice cream
12. 175g muscovado sugar
13. 50g butter
14. 225ml double cream
15. 1 tbsp black treacle

How to prepare

Stone and chop the dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour the boiling water over. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in the vanilla extract. Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm. Meanwhile, put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream. Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn’t smudge (no need to chill). When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.