Sticky date pudding… for everyone! Because firstly, it’s so moreish and delicious everyone will want a slice, and secondly, it’s free of dairy, eggs, soy and nuts (also making it vegan), and you can happily sub in gluten-free flour. It’s one of those desserts you can make no matter who you’re feeding, and without any compromise on texture or flavour – promise. This recipe might look on the longer side, but I promise it’s really quick and easy – my sister Ellen couldn’t believe ‘that’s it?!’ when she tested it for me, and proclaimed it her new go-to entertaining recipe. This recipe is a teaser straight from my brand new cookbook ‘Modern Slow Cooker’… click below to check it out!
Serves 8
Hands-on time: 10 mins
Total slow cooker time: 5 hours + 10 mins standing
+ dairy free
+ vegan
+ vegetarian
+ egg free
+ nut free
+ soy free
+ gluten free (option)
Ingredients
2 cups (280 g) pitted dates
1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal*
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
2 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil + extra for greasing
1 ½ teaspoons mixed spice
1 cup (150 g) plain flour**
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 L pudding basin or small casserole dish (preferably with lid) that fits inside slow cooker
Method
FIRST
- Place dates, water, flaxseed meal and bicarbonate of soda in a high-powered blender or food processor, stir to combine. Stand for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar, oil and spice. Process until well combined and dates are chopped but still a little chunky, 5–10 seconds.
- Add flour and baking powder, process on low speed until just combined. Fold any leftover flour in with a spatula.
- Grease a 2 L pudding basin with olive oil using a pastry brush. Pour in date mixture. Give it a couple of bangs on the bench to release any air bubbles. Cover pudding with lid or foil, sealing tightly.
- Place inside slow cooker, then add water until pudding basin is two-thirds submerged. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high.
5 HOURS LATER
- Check a skewer inserted in the pudding comes out more or less clean – not covered in raw mixture. If needed, cover and cook for a further 30 minutes on high.
- Once cooked, remove pudding basin from slow cooker and allow to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate.
It’s warm and ready to serve! Cut thick slices and serve with cream, gooey caramel sauce (page 173), poached pears (page 39), ice cream or fresh strawberries . . . or a combination. Just as good served cold, so don’t stress if you’re struggling to get the timing exactly right – you can make it up to 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
*Flaxseed meal is simply flaxseeds (also known as linseeds) milled down to a fine powder. You can buy it pre-milled, but honestly, it’s often not fresh and frankly not very nice – it’s best to mill your own as needed, or mill a couple of tablespoons at a time and store in the fridge or freezer. Use a high-powered blender or coffee grinder, and remember 1 tablespoon of whole flaxseeds will come out as less than 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal.
**Use gluten-free flour for a gluten-free option.
