Birthday celebration with a twist

My friend called me last minute yesterday at 12 midnight, she panicked because she forgot to bake a cake; she was so tired. She is having her husband’s big birthday celebration. She was so occupied with hiring a big tent, chairs, and tables, ordering some Italian dishes, buying Costco sandwiches, salad, and drinks. I told her I would make sticky date pudding as I have dates at home. I told her to get her own thickened cream. She agreed.

Sticky date pudding can be the ultimate birthday celebration food. Thankful to God for helping me make my friend this sticky date pudding that is moist, soft, and has a very thick caramel sauce; it’s sure to be wickedly addictive, and her family will enjoy it to the fullest, filling them with heart-bursting joy and having a marvelous birthday celebration with a twist. Let’s cook!!!

This is one and a half recipe

Ingredients

340 g pitted dates, chopped
340 g self-raising flour, sifted plus 40-50 g extra
600 ml water
1 Tsp bicarb soda
140 g butter salted, soft
300 g castor sugar
5 large eggs about 800 g size
1 Tsp vanilla essence

Caramel sauce

225 g dark brown sugar
390 vanilla custard
300 g butter, chopped

Method

Preheat oven 180 degrees C. Grease a square baking tray with 5 cm deep. Combine dates with water in a pot over medium heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until dates are very soft. Add bicrab soda and stir, then set aside to cool.

Beat butter and caster sugar until thick and pale, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla, date mixture, and then fold in 340 g flour. If too liquid, add an extra 40 g flour. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until springy to the touch. Meanwhile, make caramel sauce: combine all ingredients in a pot and stir over medium heat until boiling. Simmer for 3 minutes or until combined and glossy.

Once skewer in out clean, remove sticky dates from oven. Make holes with a chopstick all around the sticky dates. Spoon the caramel sauce over sticky dates. Make sure it seeps in the hole and sides. Bake a further 5-8 minutes. Serve warm with cream or custard or ice cream. Enjoy!!!!

Note: You might need extra flour if it’s too liquid. Oven temperatures may vary. You might need less or more time. You may want to make one recipe. As my family is big and everyone would go for second helpings, I make one and a half recipe.

https://helenscchin.com/2025/06/03/sticky-dates-pudding-in-foil/

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