Ingredients
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1/2 lb dates, stoned and chopped up
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1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb. of soda)
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1 cup boiling water
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4 ounces butter (the real stuff)
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7 ounces sugar, you can use caster sugar
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2 eggs, beaten
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1/2 lb cake flour or 1/2 lb all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 cup chopped walnuts
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1 cup sugar
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2 tablespoons butter
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3/4 cup water
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2 teaspoons vanilla
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1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
- You need a large ovenproof pudding dish, or 2 pie plates. Grease or spray with nonstick spray.
- Put the chopped dates in a bowl. Add the baking soda, and pour over the boiling water.
- Stir to mix and leave to cool.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until creamy (I use caster sugar, which, being fine, creams more easily). Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
- Sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold it into the creamed mixture.
- Stir in the date mixture, and then the nuts. Fold in thoroughly.
- Ladle into your prepared dish or pie plates, and put into oven. The baking time is approximately 50 minutes, but will depend on the dishes used. Test with a skewer, but a few crumbs will often adhere to the stick even when the pudding is done.
- While it's baking, make the syrup.
- Heat the sugar, butter and water together, stirring, until sugar has melted almost completely. Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt and brandy.
- When the pudding or pies come out of the oven, pour over the hot syrup. It will sink in slowly.
- Serve hot or cold with ice cream, whipped cream or custard.