Sticky Date Pudding with Date Caramel Sauce

 

            I don’t know what it is about these beautiful little dried fruits that I love so much, I cannot believe I used to hate them! Dates are one of my favourite sweeteners to use when I’m baking, along with rice malt syrup and coconut sugar. They are also a super easy snack to beat back those sugar cravings, although I know not everyone can eat lots of these, as they are high on the Fodmap scale.

            So I decided to share with you a recipe that I love, for a healthier version of a rather naughty dessert.

S t i c k y  d a t e  p u d d i n g! (As the title implies.)

I have tried a few different healthy versions of this dish and I must admit Lola Berry does a really tasty version in her ‘20/20 Diet Cookbook’, I’m also super excited for her new cook book coming out early this year.

            A little bit about D A T E S :

            These little fruits are an amazing source of potassium, which is a critical mineral in the maintenance of fluid balance in the body, as well as in the process of nerve impulse transmissions and muscle contractions.

Dates are also a great source of fiber, iron, niacin and vitamin B6. As they are a sticky fruit, with around 60% of their weight being sugar, it’s a good idea to clean your teeth after eating them, to prevent cavities.

            This pudding has quite a light texture, its still moist (*cringe) but it isn’t a dense pudding. The more of the caramel sauce you add, the richer it gets, but I really think it does need at least a bit of the caramel to help bring out the date flavour. So don’t be scared if you’re not a fan of rich desserts!

Sticky Date Puddings with Date Caramel Sauce

Plant-Based – Gluten Free – Dairy Free

Makes: 4 serves

Time: prep: 20 minutes

Cooking: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pudding

- 1 ½ cups dates

- 1 cup almond meal

- ½ cup buckwheat flour

- 1/3 cup pecans, crushed

- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal, 3 tbsps of water, left to set)

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 cup almond milk

- 1/3 cup coconut oil

- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

- ½ tsp cinnamon

- Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

Caramel Sauce

- 1 ½ cup dates

- 1/3 cup coconut oil

- 1/3 cup almond milk

- 1/3 cup unhulled tahini

- Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

Method:

- Pre-heat your oven to 160C, and grease a small cake tin.

- If you are using dried dates, you’ll need to soak the dates for both the pudding and the sauce in separate containers, with boiling hot water (if using medjool dates you wont need to soak them). Drain the dates well after about 15 minutes soaking or when they are soft and beginning to break down easy when squished with a fork.

Now is also a good time to make your flax egg.

- Place the pudding portion of the dates, almond milk, flax egg, apple cider vinegar and coconut oil in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.

- Combine the smooth pudding date paste with the dry ingredients and transfer the mixture into the greased baking dish. Smooth over the top of the pudding and place it in the oven for 20-30 minutes. It should turned slightly golden colour, with a warmer golden colour around the edge, and if you poke a skewer in the centre it should also come out clean when it is ready. It will still feel quite soft if you press down on the centre of the pudding, but that is perfect as it wont be dry on the inside.

- While the pudding is cooking, you can make the date caramel sauce by simply popping the last of the soaked dates that have been drained, along with all of the other caramel ingredients into a food processor/blender and blitz. Keep this going until the paste has a smooth consistency and all the dates have broken down.

- Once the pudding is cooked, poke the whole thing repeatedly with your skewer, so it is covered in lots of little holes. Then spoon over 2 or so tablespoons of the date caramel and spread it out over the pudding, this helps prevent it from drying out and brings out the date flavour.

- Serve the pudding with a scoop of the Date Caramel Sauce and your favourite non-dairy ice cream or coconut cream.

Let me know how you go if you do try this out yourselves, or post a picture on instagram with the hashtag #cinnamoncourtney so I can see all of your recreations!

‘I release all fears and doubts’ – Louise L. Hay

Source:

- Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal – Readers Digest & Dr Rosemary Stanton

- Understanding Nutrition (Australian and New Zealand Edition) – E. Whitney, S. R. Rolfes, T. Crowe, D. Cameron-Smith & A. Walsh