Sticky Date and Butterscotch Pudding

This recipe combines two of my favourite desserts - sticky date pudding and butterscotch self-saucing pudding - into one stunning treat.

Ingredients

225g (1½ cups) self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom (optional)
165g (¾ cup) tightly packed brown sugar
80g (4 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus more for greasing
125ml (½ cup) milk
165g (1 cup) pitted medjool dates, finely chopped
Butterscotch sauce
375ml (1½ cups) boiling water
60g (3 tablespoons) golden syrup
40g (2 tablespoons) butter, roughly chopped
SERVES: 6

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 8-10 cup capacity oven-proof dish (mine was 22cm x 16cm) with butter.
Place the flour, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom (if using) into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the brown sugar and whisk again. Make a well in centre and add the melted butter and milk and fold to combine. Fold in the dates. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared dish.
To make the butterscotch sauce, combine the boiling water, golden syrup and butter in a 2-cup capacity jug (or bowl with a spout) and stir until the butter is melted.
Pour the sauce over the back of a large metal spoon and onto the batter. This step is important as you don't want the liquid to break the surface of the batter, there should be two distinct layers.
Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the batter has risen to the top, is set and the sauce bubbles around the edges. Stand for 5 minutes and then serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Notes:

Sugar substitutions: For the butterscotch sauce, I've used golden syrup for a buttery and silky finish, but you could substitute with the same amount of maple syrup or ½ cup of brown sugar.
Pour the sauce over carefully: When pouring the sauce over the batter, make sure you do this over the back of a large metal spoon - this step is important as you don't want the liquid to break the surface of the batter. There should be two distinct layers. The rising agents in the batter - the baking powder in the self-raising flour - will cause the batter to rise, while the sauce, which is heavier than the batter, will sink to the bottom, forming a thick, sticky sauce. Nothing like a bit of pudding magic for dessert.