Hi Friends, It’s Teenuja here.
In the spirit of the holiday season, I’m sharing one of my favourite puddings to serve
at this time of the year which is the Sticky Date Pudding, also known as Sticky Toffee
Pudding.
My version of this classic British dessert, although it appears that the origin is Canadian,
is a deliciously rich vegan Sticky Date Pudding, that is mostly sweetened with gorgeous Medjool
dates.
Today’s recipe is sponsored by Natural Delights Medjool Dates.
I just wanted to mention that we are very selective in the products and services that
we endorse.
We only do so for products that we like or enjoy or use ourselves, and that we believe,
based on our experience, are worthy of such endorsement.
This incredible dessert is probably one of the best puddings to enjoy on a cold winter’s
day.
It’s copiously doused in velvety warm toffee sauce, exquisitely sticky and satisfyingly
dense -- a modern classic holiday dessert.
The Medjool dates from Natural Delights are actually a staple in my kitchen.
I love them on their own as a healthy snack whenever I have a little sweet craving.
They are incredibly sweet but thanks to the amount of fibre they contain Medjools have
a low to medium glycemic index score, so they don’t spike your blood sugar.
Medjools are also low in fat, high in antioxidants and packed with nutrients like potassium.
By weight, they contain 50% more potassium than bananas.
Natural Delights Medjool Dates are grown in Bard Valley situated where Arizona, California
and Mexico meet.
This unique location is bathed in more sunshine than any other place in North America and
produce one of the world’s finest Medjool dates.
They contain no sulphites or preservatives.
Check out the Natural Delights website where you can learn more about their Medjool dates
and range of products.
I also love their date rolls that are delicious and make great snack.
You’ll also find the nutrition facts and a store locator for the products.
So now, let’s get on with this amazing Sticky Date Pudding.
Traditionally Sticky Date Pudding is not vegan but it is very easy to swap in ingredients
to make it plant-based and it is a relatively easy dessert to make.
It consists of two parts, the date cake and the toffee sauce that gives the cake its characteristic
stickiness and gooeyness.
You’ll find the printable recipe on our website.
The link is in the description below.
To make the cake, we start by pitting and chopping the Medjools.
I’ve reduced the amount of sugar in my version, relying more on the natural sweetness of Medjool
dates.
The toffee sauce then complements and delivers the final sweet touch.
What I also love about Sticky Date Pudding is that it is not all empty calories thanks
to the Medjool dates that present an excellent nutrient profile.
Apart from being an excellent source of potassium, they are also contain copper, magnesium, vitamin
B6, niacin, calcium, iron and vitamin K. Set the dates aside for now.
Next, warm up some soy milk (or other plant-based milk).
Allow the milk to come to a gentle boil, then remove it from the heat.
Drop the chopped Medjools into the warm milk and leave them to soak for about 15 minutes.
Since these Medjool dates are a fresh fruit, they don’t require a lot of time to soften.
Before we start mixing the ingredients, set the oven to preheat at 200 C or 400 F.
Then grease a 23-cm/9-inch square baking pan with a little oil and set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together -- I am using sifted spelt flour
which is something in between white and whole spelt flour
Add the baking powder, baking soda, a pinch of salt, cinnamon
and cornstarch.
Give it all a good mix.
To the Medjool and soy milk mixture in the saucepan, add the rest of the wet ingredients
-- the vinegar, I am using apple cider vinegar but you can also use white vinegar… safflower
oil or sunflower oil... the molasses.
I am using black strap molasses because I love the taste.
Fancy molasses is also good.
Here’s a little tip, if you grease the measuring spoon, the molasses will easily slide off
it.
Finally, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Stir and mix all the wet ingredients together.
Then, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, fold and mix into a batter.
The batter is rather thick but not stodgy.
Lastly add the coconut palm sugar and fold in gently.
Try not overmix at this stage.
Finally, pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Spread it out evenly and smooth the top.
Then, place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 180 C / 350
F and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Once baked, leave the cake to cool.
While the cake is cooling down, make the caramel toffee sauce.
In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, place the coconut palm sugar, coconut milk, vanilla
extract and fancy molasses.
Stir all ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil.
Once the mixture starts to become bubbly, turn down the heat and simmer while stirring
for 5 - 8 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken a little.
The mixture will still be runny but will continue to thicken after you take it off the heat.
Do not overcook the mixture or it will become like candy.
Poke the cake all over with a skewer.
Then, generously pour the caramel sauce all over the cake.
Save some of the sauce for serving.
And now for the best part, cut into 9 portions and serve this pudding warm.
To save time, you can make both the cake and the sauce in advance and keep them separate
until ready to serve.
The cake will keep for 2 days (without the sauce) on the counter in an air-tight container.
It can also be frozen.
The sauce can be stored in the fridge, however it will begin to solidify.
To serve again simply add 1-2 tablespoons water and warm it for a few minutes.
I love to serve this Sticky Date Pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and of course
some extra toffee sauce.
This just looks divine!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe and you’ll give it a try for this holiday season.
If you do, take some pictures and tag us on Instagram.
And if you’ve enjoyed this video, don’t forget to give us a thumbs up and leave us
a comment.
Check out our blog for the printable recipe.
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See you soon for another video!
Bye.