
Hailing from the 1970s and reaching peak popularity in the ’90s, this pudding now sits alongside the likes of lemon delicious, rice pudding and chocolate fondants as a classic. Sweet, sticky and completely addictive, it is always a crowd-pleaser.

melted butter, to grease
200 g fresh dates, pitted and chopped
250 ml water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
165 g brown sugar, firmly packed
2 egg, at room temperature
150 g self-raising flour
vanilla ice cream, to serve
100 g unsalted butter, cubed
220 g brown sugar, firmly packed
250 ml thin cream (pouring cream), 9 fl oz/1 cup
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (315°F) fan-forced. Grease a 16 cm x 26 cm (6¼ in x 10½ in) shallow cake tin with melted butter and line the base and two long sides with one piece of baking paper, allowing the paper to overhang the sides.
Put the and in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3–5 minutes, or until pulpy. Stir in the and set aside for 20 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature (see Baker’s tips).
Use an electric mixer to beat the and in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the one at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold in the cooled date mixture. Add the and fold in until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
Meanwhile, to make the Toffee sauce, put the , and in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove the pudding from the oven, leave in the tin and pour over a quarter of the hot Toffee sauce. Set aside for 5 minutes. Remove the warm pudding from the tin and cut into portions. Serve drizzled with the remaining warm Toffee sauce, and ice cream or cream on the side.


