I had a hankering for sticky date pudding and just happened to stumble across this disturbingly good recipe, with a little bit of a twist!
Note that this recipe calls for a Kitchen Aid mixer, but you will achieve the same results with a hand mixer.
Chocolate sticky date & pecan loaf
Ingredients
Loaf Mixture
250ml water
250g pitted dried dates
1½ tspn bicarb
80g unsalted butter, cubed & softened at room temperature
100g (½ cup) dark brown sugar
I tspn mixed spice
100g good quality dark eating chocolate, roughly chopped
1/3 cup (40g) pecan nuts, roughly chopped
1½ cups (215g) plain flour, sifted
50g good quality dark eating chocolate, extra, roughly chopped
2 tbspn dark brown sugar, extra
Butterscotch Sauce
250ml thickened cream
80g unsalted butter
1 cup (160g) dark brown sugar
premium vanilla ice cream, for serving
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160o C for fan forced oven). Grease and line a 13 x 24cm loaf tin with baking paper and spray lightly with oil.
Combine water and dates in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir through soda. Allow to cool.
Place butter and sugar into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer. Attach the flat beater and pouring shield (if available). Mix on speed 2 until incorporated, then increase to speed 6 and mix for 2-3 minutes, or until light and creamy. Scrape down sides of bowl regularly with a spatula.
Add date mixture, mixed spice, chocolate, nuts and flour and mix on speed 1 until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes on middle shelf.
Combine extra chocolate and brown sugar together and sprinkle over top of cake. Bake for a further 5 minutes or until cake is firm to touch. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Prepare Butterscotch Sauce: Combine cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.
Slice cake and serve with Butterscotch Sauce and ice cream.
Once again I got caught up in eating this beautiful dessert that I forgot to snap a photo of my own...
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| Photo and recipe courtesy of the Kitchen Aid Website |
