Name: Self-saucing banana, date and pecan pudding
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dates, soaked in boiling water; 3 small ripe bananas; 2 eggs; 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed; 80 gram butter, melted; 1 1/2 cup plain flour; 3 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 70 gram pecans; icing sugar, to serve; Sauce; 2 cup boiling water; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 heaped tsp cornflour; 70 gram butter, chopped

Self-saucing banana, date and pecan pudding

In this self-saucing pudding recipe, gooey caramel sauce pools around a light banana sponge studded with buttery pecans and dates. It has all the gooeyness of sticky date pudding, but less rich and sickly

Serves 6

Prep

15M

Cook

45M

Total

Ingredients

1/2 cup dates, soaked in boiling water

3 small ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed

80 gram butter, melted

1 1/2 cup plain flour

3 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

70 gram pecans

icing sugar, to serve

Sauce

2 cup boiling water

1 cup brown sugar

1 heaped tsp cornflour

70 gram butter, chopped

Method

1.Preheat oven to 160ºC fan bake. Butter a large oven-proof dish.

2.Soak the dates for 15 minutes, then drain them and blend in a food processor. Add the bananas and blend until mixed.

3.In a bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the butter, then the date and banana purée. Mix until combined.

4.Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, cinnamon and pecans.

5.Scrape the mixture into the prepared dish.

6.For the sauce, put the boiling water, sugar, cornflour and butter in a jug. Stir until the butter has melted. Over the back of a large metal spoon, pour the sauce over the batter.

7.Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top has set and the cake layer is cooked through.

8.Dust with icing sugar. Serve with cream, ice cream, custard (or all three!).

Nici Wickes