Chocolate Sticky Date Pudding

This is the second sticky date pudding I have ever made. The first was the traditional pudding and it tasted sensational, thanks to a great recipe. Most recipes for sticky date pudding are quite similar, except that some may have a higher proportion of dates to flour.  After a successful first attempt, I decided it was time that I tried the chocolate version.  No, it wasn't a chocolate cake with dates in it. Instead, finely chopped chocolate bits are folded through the date and flour mixture, so that after it's baked, it still looks like sticky date pudding, but with tiny pockets of melted chocolate incorporated within. G and I agreed that this version was even better, and the kids seemed to think so too (although they kept calling it chocolate cake), not forgetting the lashings of warm butterscotch sauce (love love love!) that made it even more moreish. Sticky date pudding is such a perennial classic and is a welcome treat especially on cold winter nights!

Chocolate Sticky Date Pudding
Adapted from Taste.com.au

Ingredients

• 250g  (8 oz) pitted dried dates 
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 125g (1/2 cup) butter, chopped
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs 
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 100g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped

Butterscotch sauce:

• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 75g (1/3 cup) butter, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 20cm (8 inch) round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
2. Combine dates and 1 1/4 cups cold water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Stand for 15 minutes. Process date mixture until almost smooth.
3. Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in flour, chocolate and date mixture. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
4. Meanwhile, make the butterscotch sauce: Combine sugar, cream and butter in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve the cake warm with butterscotch sauce.