For the Pudding:
1 ½ cup pitted dates
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1 stick butter, softened
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Vanilla ice cream for serving
For the Toffee Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350. In a bowl, combine the dates, baking soda, and boiling water. Cover and let it sit 15 minutes to soften the dates. Transfer the whole mixture, including the liquid to a blender. Blend until smooth scraping down the sides as necessary. Set aside.
Spray 6 (6 oz.) ramekins with non-stick spray. You can also do this in a 13x9 baking dish if you like. If you do it in the larger baking dish, be sure to bake it on a sheet pan. Prepare to make the pudding.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. In another bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the dry ingredients and date mixture about a third of the mixtures at a time. Mix just until the mixture comes together.
Spoon the mixture to fill the ramekins 2/3 full. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan and place in the oven to bake 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If using the large baking dish, it will take 50-55 minutes to bake.
As they bake, make the toffee sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Cook 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly to dissolve the sugar. Continue whisking while adding in the cream. Cook another minute or two or until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the vanilla.
Poke holes using a fork or toothpick all over the puddings immediately as they come out of the oven. Spoon over each pudding about a tbsp. of the toffee sauce. Do 1 cup of the sauce if doing the large pan method. Return the pudding to the oven to cook another 5 minutes for the ramekins and 10 more minutes for the baking dish.
Allow the pudding to cool 10 minutes before using a knife to loosen them from the ramekins. Turn over on a serving dish and serve with extra sauce and ice cream. If doing the baking dish method. Simply scoop a serving on a dish and finish the same way. Enjoy!
