A Recipe At A Time: dessert

Mmmmm my house smells so good right now!

This recipe is for Hayley who so kindly requested it! (You better like it Hayley as this was a dangerous mission! I ended up with a 4 kg container of flour on my head then all over the kitchen floor, much to my toddlers delight!).

This is my version of Sticky Date Pudding and Butterscotch Sauce. This has been adapted from a few different recipes with a few tweaks here and there. I had never tried this yummy dessert until about 2-3 months ago. Since then I have been perfecting the recipe and think I have finally achieved the ultimate Sticky Date Pudding and Butterscotch Sauce! (Can I just add, this sauce is DEVINE! I have been known to sneak spoonfuls of it from the bowl!!!)

Oh and the best bit - I use as few utensils and dishes as possible!!! I use the stack cooker to do everything! I stand by these things being worth their weight in gold! Who wants to spend time washing up nemerous bowls etc? Not me!!!

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
250g Pitted Dates, finely chopped
1cup of Boiling Water
100g Butter, softened
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1 teas Vanilla Essence or Extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup Apple Puree (finely chopped apple or pear would work as would mashed banana)
1 cup Self Raising Flour, sifted
A tiny sprinkle of Cinnamon and Nutmeg

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
30g Butter, softened
200mls Cream

In the 1.5lt bowl, place the dates and boiling water. Place lid on top and let stand.
In the 2.25lt bowl place the butter and sugars. Cream until light and fluffy. The beauty of the stack cooker is that the pudding will be mixed and cooked in the one bowl which saves us washing up extra! Woohoo! Oh and if you butter is a little to hard you can pop it in the microwave for 30 secs to soften in!Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time. Mix until egg is combined.
Add the date mixture, flour and apple puree. Mix well. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. I find these to be a strong flavour so only use the smallest amount so they don’t take over. Place into the microwave and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, wipe the 1.5lt bowl out to ensure no date mixture is left behind and add the sugar, butter and cream. Stir.
After 5 minutes remove the 2.25lt bowl from the microwave. Place the 1.5lt bowl on top of the 2.25lt bowl. Cook in the microwave for 6 minutes.
Remove from microwave and let it stand for approximately 5 minutes. I serve a spoonful of the pudding in a nice deep bowl with a drizzle of the butterscotch sauce and sometimes a small dollop of ice cream or cream.

Tips:
* If you would like a darker colour pudding use dark brown sugar. You can swap the caster sugar for brown if desired.
* If it comes out dry, cook for less time. You may need to trail this a few times until you perfect it for your microwave.

PLEASE NOTE: The times given is just an estimate. Each microwave differs. Please ensure you have checked that your meal is cooked through before consuming.

This is a great quick and easy dessert for unexpected guests as Sticky Date is always a hit. With very minimal washing up you cant complain!

Until next time, happy cooking!

Peta