Sticky Toffee Date Pudding
This recipe is part of a two-part 3-course meal menu. Start with this Creamy Tomato Beet Soup., followed by an Eggplant Lasagna with Mushroom Ragu, served with a Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad.
I've made a pudding similar to this, which has become a South African quintessential dessert - Malva Pudding with Rum Sauce. Sticky toffee date pudding is the English or Australian version, a cake made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter and well, of course, dates!
What makes this dessert is the moist texture of the cake and the sauces you serve it with since it acts like a sponge. The "sticky" in sticky date pudding gets its name from the creamy brown sugar-based toffee sauce that goes on top.
Sticky toffee pudding is also often served with custard, ice cream, or whipped cream. In this case, like my previous dessert, I used my signature Amarula Custard.
Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup or 6-7 ounces dates, pitted (I used Medjool)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Toffee sauce:
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
15-ounce (400ml) can coconut whipping cream
1/2 cup milk (I used plant-based for this)
Instructions
In a small saucepan, submerge and simmer the dates for about 5 minutes or until they begin to break down. Cool, strain, and pulse into a paste in a blender or food processor. Mix with the baking soda and set aside.
Cream the dark brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy and creamy in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and the date mix - you’ll notice it would have lightened and up a bit and become airy in texture.
Pour the batter into a greased and/or parchment-lined cake tin (I used one 8 inches by 8 inches) and bake at 350F for about 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven). The centre must come out clean with a toothpick or skewer to check the doneness.
While this is baking, make your toffee sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the two sugars and mix until dissolved. Stir in the cream and milk, then simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla, set aside.
If you plan to serve this with custard, at this time, you can make my Amarula Custard.
Once your cake is done, set aside to cool before serving. Cut into squares, then assemble!
For each serving, spoon a bit of the custard in a bowl. Place your date cake on top, then drizzle the toffee sauce on top. Serve hot!
Store each item separately in airtight containers, consume in 3-4 days.
Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip and Butterscotch Biscuits
This recipe is a bonus to six plates I would serve if asked to make a 6-course meal or string of small plates/tapas based on Zimbabwean cuisine. I used ingredients that are commonly eaten or are considered a cornerstone of our cooking, but with a modern twist. The first was sweet potato soup, the second tomato bruschetta with guava balsamic glaze, the third fried sadza with chili creamed corn, the fourth Portobello steak with acorn squash and greens, the fifth mango, avocado and cucumber salad, and the sixth pawpaw/papaya sorbet.
Peanut butter. The one ingredient I could not leave out. Peanuts and peanut butter are commonly used in many Zimbabwe dishes. It's an affordable, readily available product that can instantly add extra protein to almost any meal. From spicy chicken stew, mealie meal porridge, stewed kale to pumpkin, peanut butter or dovi features widely.What's not so common is the use of it in non-savoury dishes. With Zimbabweans not being big on dessert, I can’t think of many instances besides maybe nhopi (a pumpkin pudding) where peanut butter is used to make a sweet treat. The opposite is true in American of course! Reeses - need I say more? There are, however, processed commercial products like toasted peanuts dipped in chocolate to make snack bars, but peanut butter biscuits (or cookies)? not really a thing.
Peanut butter biscuits are extremely easy and some of my favourite to bake and eat!
I sweetened these up with butterscotch chips - in place of toffee - a British import which I grew up on in the form of hard-boiled sweets and toffee apples. They have a unique taste I love and balance the saltiness from the peanut butter. Chocolate also goes well with peanut butter, so I add a little.
These biscuits are ideal for another British import Zimbabweans decided to cling onto - tea time! Whether it be at 10 AM or 4 PM, the tea time snack comes in many forms, but tea and biscuits are hard to pass and timeless!
Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
2 tablespoons chocolate chips
1 egg, beaten
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Whisk all the ingredients together until evenly combined.
Use a cookie scoop or heaped teaspoon to lay out the dough on a parchment-lined baking tray, leaving space between the biscuits. Press lightly with a fork.
Bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes. Allow biscuits to rest for at least 5 minutes. Makes 12-16 biscuits.