Beyond Our Sky

Gluten-free Sticky Date Pudding

Warm sticky date pudding served with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream is a perfect dessert for the winter. This version is gluten-free, and extremely easy to make.


Recipe notes:

  • You can either use dried or fresh dates for this recipe, but I prefer to use pitted medjool dates. The dates are roughly chopped and soaked in boiling water a before being added to the batter. I like to process this date-water mixture in my thermomix to create a date puree. This is optional, but I prefer it to be smooth rather than having chunks of dates in the pudding.
  • This recipe involves the creaming of butter and brown sugar. To incorporate air and yield a light cake, it is important to cream the butter and sugar on high speed for at least five minutes.
  • The flours used in this recipe include white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch, with a small amount of xanthan gum. You could use 235g of gluten-free plain flour instead and omit the xanthan gum if the blend already contains it.

I hope you have a great week, and let me know if you have any questions.

 

Gluten-free Sticky Date Pudding

Pudding

  • 250g pitted dates, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 360 mL boiling water
  • 125g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 140g brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 135g white rice flour
  • 60g potato starch
  • 40g tapioca starch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Butterscotch Sauce

  • 100g brown sugar
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 300g cream
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (or 160°C fan). Grease and line a 33cm x 23cm (9 x 13-inch) pan with baking paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped dates, baking soda and boiling water. Allow to stand for 20 minutes, then mash well with a fork or process the mixture in a blender/food proccessor to form a date-puree.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar high speed until light and pale in colour, about 5 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl about halfway through mixing to ensure all the butter is creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition and scraping down the bowl. Add the vanilla extract.
  4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder and xanthan gum. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix on low speed until roughly combined. Add the date-water mixture, and mix on medium-low speed until fluffy and a smooth batter has formed, about 20 seconds.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and pudding lightly springs back when touched. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before transferring to a plate.
  6. Whilst the pudding is baking, make the butterscotch sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce is boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Piece the pudding all over with a skewer or fork, and pour a generous amount of warm sauce over the pudding. Cut into slices, and serve with vanilla ice cream, remaining sauce and roasted macadamia nuts (optional).
  8. The pudding can be stored in an air-tight container refrigerated for 4-5 days. Then simply reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds depending on the size of your slice.