FRIDAY NIGHT DINNERS: Sticky date pudding w/ chai masala spiced toffee sauce
This twist on our best-selling classic brings some spice warmth to the sauce, replicating the rich flavours found in chai masala.
Serves 8.
Ingredients
Core ingredients
- 85g butter, softened
- 140g caster sugar
- 2 beaten eggs
- 170g self raising flour
- 170g chopped dates
- 150ml boiling water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in a little boiling water
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
For the sauce
- 200g soft brown sugar
- 150g butter
- 150ml double cream
-
If using whole spices. Infuse your cream with the following spices and tea. Bring the cream to the boil in a sauce pan, add the spices then turn off and let the flavours develop for 30 minutes. Strain the spices and tea out.
5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 whole cloves
1 star anise
5 white peppercorns (optional)
A couple of slices of fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1–2 tablespoons loose leaf black tea (or 1–2 tea bags – everyday British tea bags like Yorkshire tea are made from black tea)If using ground spices then add a combination of ground cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander, ginger & white pepper. Nutmeg can also be lovely. And of course the tea bags! Infuse into the cream as above then remove the teabag.
Method
Making the pudding
- Preheat the oven to 165c.
- Put the chopped dates in bowl and add the boiling water, vanilla, coffee and bicarbonate of soda.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add the beaten eggs one at a time then fold in the flour.
- Add the date mixture to make a very runny mixture.
- Pour into 8 dariole moulds which you have lightly greased. Put the darioles on a baking tray and bake for 25 mins. NOTE. You can make this as a cake which you then slice into portions. It works well in a 20cm square tin, again greased before adding the cake mix.
- Cool for a couple of minutes then turn out onto shallow tray then distribute between 8 heated bowls.
- To make the sauce, infuse your cream with the spices as per the instructions in the ingredients list. One infused, combine the cream with the butter and sugar in a pan and heat until the sugar is dissolved, then spoon over puddings.
- Serve with an extra light drizzle of double cream.
Enjoy!