Sticky Date Pudding (Safeera Kaka)

Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates   1 tsp baking soda / bi carb soda  1 cup / 250 ml boiling water
1/4 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened  2 eggs , at room temperature  1 1/4 cups plain flour (all purpose)  1 1/2 tsp baking powder

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:  1 1/4 cups brown sugar , loosely packed  1 1/2 cups thickened cream (heavy cream)/milk   1/2 tsp vanilla extract  5 tbsp unsalted butter
SERVING: Ice cream or dolloping cream

Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C
Grease 7 pudding moulds with butter or grease and line a 20 cm / 8″ square cake pan

MASHED DATES:
Place dates in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Pour over boiling water. Stand 10 minutes, then mash well with a potato masher (or fork) until it resembles sloppy porridge

BATTER:
Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined and smooth. Add eggs, beat until incorporated. Add flour then sprinkle baking powder across the surface. Mix until flour is incorporated. Add dates, mix quickly until dates are well incorporated into the batter. Follow directions to make one pudding or individual ones. Pour into cake pan, smooth surface. Bake 35 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
While still hot, poke about holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch Sauce, leave to soak for 10 minutes. Cut, serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir, then bring to simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once, then remove from heat. Serve warm.

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