Sticky Date Pudding with Chocolate Caramel Sauce

Pudding

• 1½ cups (210g) dried dates, pitted & chopped
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 cup (250ml) boiling water
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1 cup (220g) light muscavado sugar
• 3 extra-large free range eggs
• 1 cup (150g) wholemeal self-raising flour
• ¾ cup (105g) wholemeal plain flour
• 100g Haigh’s Dark Chocolate Pastilles, chopped
• ½ cup (25g) roughly chopped walnuts

Dark chocolate & salted caramel sauce

• 1 cup (220g) light muscavado sugar
• 1 cup (250ml) pouring cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 100g Haigh’s Dark Chocolate Pastilles
• 1 teaspoon salt flakes

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a large bundt tin.
2. For pudding, place dates and bicarbonate soda together in a small mixing bowl and pour over boiling water. Cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat butter and sugar with electric beaters, until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add flours, chocolate & walnuts and cooled date mixture, stirring until well combined.
4. Pour mixture into prepared tin and place in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the centre clean. Remove from oven and allow pudding to cool in for 5 minutes. Using a spatula gently release the cake edges from tin and turn onto a serving plate.
5. Meanwhile for the salted chocolate caramel sauce, combine sugar, cream, vanilla and butter together in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add chocolate and salt, stirring until melted and smooth.
6. To serve, drizzle pudding with salted chocolate caramel sauce and serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.