Sticky Date Pudding - Gluten Free | Dairy free
This sticky date pudding is sweet, sticky and delicious. It is free from gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, refined sugar and grains.
Course: celebration, Dessert, pudding
Cuisine: Gluten free, Grain free
Servings: 4 Adults
- 150 g Dates (1 heaped cup)
- 1 cup hot water (just boiled)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ¾ cup almond meal (sunflower seed meal for nut free)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup nut butter or tahini (almond butter, cashew butter, or at a stretch, peanut butter) (almond, tahini or cashew work best to keep the flavours neutral)
- ¼ cup olive oil or coconut oil
Caramel Sauce
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar* (honey, maple and erithritol / stevia blend* also work)
- 1 cup coconut cream* *(see notes for a coconut free caramel sauce recipe)
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 180°c fanbake.
Place the dates in a bowl and cover with the 1 cup of hot water. Add the baking soda.
Place the tapioca, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Puree the dates with a handheld blender or in a blender / food processor. Set aside to cool.
When the dates are cool - and it's imporatnt to make sure they are not any hotter than luke warm, as adding hot dates to the flour mix will react with the tapioca causing a gummy texture - add the nut butter or tahini and oil and mix together.
Pour into the dry flour mix and stir everything together.
Grease or line a baking tray or individual pie dishes or remikens. Pour the mixture in.
Bake in the oven, on the middle rack. For 4 large individual serves: 20 minutes. If doing 1 large dish or several smaller dishes, you may need to adjust the cook time. 30 minutes for one large dish, or until cooked in the centre.
Make the caramel
Put a small pot over a meduim heat. Pour in the coconut sugar, and let it sit on the bottom of the pot until it melts.
When the sugar is melted, take the pot off the heat and let rest for a minute, so it doesnt burn the coconut cream when you add it.
Pour in the coconut cream and add back to the heat. Add the vanilla and salt. Let it boil in the pot, for five minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it is thickened. It will thicken more as it cools.
Serve the sticky date puddings with the caramel drizzled over the top.
*coconut free date caramel sauce:
1/2 cup dates
1 cup milk of choice (the creamiest milk, that's safe for your diet)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
Put the dates in the blender with the milk and blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a small pot. Add the vanilla and salt. Over a medium heat, heat the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until it's thickened, but still a pourable / spoonable consistency. Taste for sweetness, and add honey or maple if you would like it sweeter.