STICKY DATE PUDDING
BAKED IN AN (OPTIONAL) BLOSSOM BUNDT TIN
DAIRY, EGG & (OPTIONALLY) REFINED SUGAR FREE
FROM ‘CAKES & PUDDINGS’ IN THE VEGAN BAKER
Oh my god, Becky, look at that bundt.
It is so big. Get this round thing in your face for juicy flavour and a crumb that’s as delightful to slide your fork through as it is to eat. You can use a traditional bundt tin or a deep baking tray to bake this pudding, but purchasing a decorative novelty bundt tin is a simple way to serve up a wildly extravagant eye- catcher, with no extra preparation steps on your end. By adding teabags to your initial date soak, you’ll introduce a bitterness that plays well with the heavy sweetness from a date-loaded pudding. Need an excuse for seconds? Make it refined-sugar free by using warmed as slightly diluted date syrup as the sauce if you want ‘a little in the middle’, or make the rich caramel sauce if you want ‘much back’.
It’s made of..
Medjool dates: the richest kind, for flavour and sweetness.
Date syrup: I skip sugar.. and add more dates! In the form of date syrup so as to amplify dates by the power of dates.
Teabags: Brewed into the hot water that the dates are soaked in to add a little bitterness and another flavour dimension.
Psyllium Husk: as a binding agent that allows you to skip using eggs! As an extra bonus, it’ll help boost your fibre intake.
It’s made in..
A novelty bundt tin: I love making this in my blossom bundt tin from Nordic Ware. This isn’t sponsored, it’s just what I like using. I chose it for The Vegan Baker to showcase how choosing novelty tins for your baking like this one can help you pull off really stunning dishes. For example, this particular style of bundt allows to caramel sauce to cascade down the sticky date pudding ‘petals’ which is a spectacular event for serving at Christmas, Thanksgiving or any cold night that calls for a hot date. This recipe can be made in any bundt tin, or a normal baking tin - just monitor the baking time and remove the pudding mixture whenever the skewer inserted comes out clean.
What if I want to make real, proper caramel sauce instead of date syrup?
I recommend it! Heating sugar, in cream, to high temperatures summons rich, complex flavours as the sugars break down. This is a wet caramel, which means the sugar is mixed with a liquid before cooking. Once mixed, it’s a hand’s off process ... but it likes to be watched. You must monitor closely as the sauce deepens in flavour and colour. You’ll see the sugars go through all the candy-making stages; past the threads, over the balls and deftly slipping through the cracks. But watch out! A basic, blonde caramel can, in seconds, rapidly sail past the point of no return and take on a burnt flavour. You can address this by taking the pot off the heat a few shades lighter, in anticipation of the fact that the sugars will continue to cook once off the stove. Or, prepare an ice bath in your sink to help halt the cooking process when it’s the perfect amber colour. This caramel is dairy-free but golden, buttery and with a hint of vanilla; it’s insanely good poured over this sticky date pudding and doesn’t add any extra time until the recipe is done.
This recipe is extracted from The Vegan Baker cookbook by me! It’s from the ‘Cakes & Puddings’ chapter where you’ll find recipes for rum baba, victoria sponge, peach cobbler, basbousa, my gran’s rice pudding and more! You can order signed copies of the book directly from me or find them online and from your favourite local book retailer.
Vegan Sticky Date Pudding
Ingredients
- cooking spray, for greasing
- 3 black tea, English breakfast or chai teabags
- 375 ml (12 1⁄2 fl oz) boiling water
- 250 g (9 oz) medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 150 g (5 1⁄2 oz) date syrup or golden syrup
- 125 g (4 1⁄2 oz) cold vegan butter, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 g (9 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
- large pinch of fine salt
- 300 ml (10 fl oz) vegan cream
- 200 g (7 oz) brown sugar
- 60 g (2 oz) vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Lightly grease a classic bundt (ring tin) or novelty bundt tin that’s about 22 cm (83⁄4 in) in diameter. Alternatively, use a classic cake tin or deep baking tray.
- Dangle the teabags in a heatproof measuring jug and pour the boiling water in. Allow it to brew while you pit the dates and toss into a separate container. Once the tea is dark and bitter, remove the teabags, stir in the baking soda, then pour the tea over the dates to submerge them. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the dates begin having a breakdown, then use a stick blender to puree the mixture.
- Use an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the date syrup, cold butter and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes or until combined, light and fluffy.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour the pureed dates into the butter mixture until combined. Stir together the flour, baking powder, psyllium husk powder and salt, then dump it into the stand mixer bowl and run on low speed until just folded through – avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter evenly into the bundt tin and tap it on the bench to spread the batter out. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Get your hot date into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle and a few spots around the pudding comes out clean. Allow the pudding to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then up-end onto a wire rack.
- Use the skewer to prod access points all over the pudding. Transfer to a plate, then pour half the hot caramel sauce over the top to glaze the pudding.
- Cut pudding slices out of the bundt tin and serve warm, with the remaining caramel sauce drizzled over everyone’s serving. If your date isn’t ready to go home at the end of the night, the pudding will last for up to 1 week in the fridge.
- While the pudding bakes, make the caramel. In a saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar and butter over medium heat. Lightly slosh the liquid around the pan as it dissolves, then avoid stirring the solution once it comes to the boil. Maintain a simmer to keep it gently bubbling for 10-15 minutes, until the caramel turns from a light blonde to brown – don’t make it too dark! – and begins to thicken.
- Keep the caramel in a jar in the fridge for up to a month. Gently reheat and give it a good stir before using.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
538.44Fat
11.4 gSat. Fat
4.2 gCarbs
104.72 gFiber
4.62 gNet carbs
100.09 gSugar
62.48 gProtein
5.82 gSodium
721.4 mgCholesterol
0 mg
Freshly glazed and iced vegan finger buns photographed by Emily Weaving for The Vegan Baker cookbook.