Chocolate Sticky Date Pudding With Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce Recipes

STICKY DATE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and chocolate in a small bowl, and set aside.
• Bring the dates and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes, then scrape into a blender, and carefully puree until smooth; set aside.
• Cream 1/4 cup of butter together with the superfine sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Fold in the flour mixture and the date puree until well blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the cream, brown sugar, and 1 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts; set aside.
• When the puddings have baked for 25 minutes, remove them from the oven, and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the puddings from the muffin tin, and place them onto a baking sheet. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce over each pudding, then return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more.
• To serve, spoon some of the sauce onto the bottom of a dessert plate, and place a pudding on top. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar, and top with a 1/4 cup scoop of ice cream. Repeat with the remaining date puddings.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine dates and water; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in baking soda. Cool to lukewarm., In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in date mixture., Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan on a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter; add brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in brandy and vanilla. Serve warm with warm cake. If desired, top with whipped cream.

IRISH STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH IRISH WHISKEY TOFFEE SAUCE

Steps:

• Grease 10-cup (2.5 L) Bundt or tube pan; dust with flour. Set aside.
• In saucepan, bring water, dates and baking soda to boil; let cool.
• In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour with baking powder; stir into butter mixture alternately with date mixture, making 2 additions of dry ingredients and 1 of date mixture. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 45 minutes.
• Irish Whiskey Toffee Sauce: Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in sugar until dissolved. Add cream and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in whiskey; keep warm.
• While still in pan and using skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over cake; pour 1/3 cup (75 mL) warm sauce evenly over top. Bake until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
• Invert cake onto platter. Poke holes all over; pour 1/3 cup (75 mL) more sauce over cake. (Make-ahead: Let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap; store in airtight container at room temperature for up 2 days. Cover remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat to serve.).
• To serve, cut into slices; drizzle with remaining warm sauce. Serves 12.
• Canadian Living Magazine: March 2007.