My family can never refuse a steamed sponge. This dates back to the first time I took them to eat at St John in London. My mum was expecting some sort of afternoon tea, I think, so when Rosy, one of the pastry chefs, sent us a massive steamed date sponge, it took her by surprise. My dad ordered a pint, my brother a coke, and we all grabbed a spoon. To this day, it’s a pudding I get asked to make on repeat, accompanied by a jug of cold cream on the side. It also offers a popular alternative to Christmas pudding.
Steamed date pudding with toffee sauce
I used a 16cm x 16cm x 9cm pudding basin to make one large dessert, but this recipe can be split into three or four smaller individual puddings, or two medium-sized ones, depending on what vessels you have to hand. The mix can be made in advance, kept in the fridge overnight and steamed the next day; or cooked and reheated in the microwave or re-steamed.
Prep 25 min
Cook 1hr 30 min+
Serves 4
200g medjool dates
100g unsalted butter, softened
160g dark brown sugar
2 eggs
160g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine salt
For the toffee sauce
200ml double cream
70g dark brown sugar
30g unsalted butter
1 pinch flaky salt (optional)
Brush the pudding basin liberally with butter and put it in the fridge.
Put the dates in a pan with 400ml water and simmer until they’re tender and soft – around 15 minutes. While they simmer, make the batter, first beating the butter with the sugar, then adding the eggs and mixing well. Combine the dry ingredients except the bicarb, then add to the wet mixture, stirring well to combine.
Blend the date mixture in a blender to form a smooth paste, add the bicarb and blitz for 30 seconds to a minute more (use a standard-sized blender here, not a mini one, because the mixture will expand once the bicarb has been added). Leave to cool slightly, then add to the batter. The final mix should be quite loose.
Dust the buttered mould with flour and pour in the batter, leaving a 4cm space from the top if making one large pudding (or split the batter into two basins – around 450g per basin). Put a circle of baking paper directly on top of the batter and make a foil lid by taking a large rectangle of foil, folding it in half and then making a pleat in the middle. Securely fold the foil around the top of the basin. (The pleat will allow the pudding to expand in the oven, while the paper prevents it from sticking to the foil.) Tie the foil to the basin with a piece of string.
Put the basin in a large, deep pan half-filled with boiling water. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for one hour 30 minutes if making a large pudding, or 45 minutes to an hour for smaller ones. Top up the pan with water if and when needed. Insert a long, wooden skewer directly through the foil top into the pudding: if it comes out clean, it’s ready; if not, continue cooking.
Once cooked, carefully lift the hot pudding basin from the pan, remove and discard the foil and paper, and run a knife all around the edges of the basin.
For the toffee sauce, put all the ingredients except the salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the salt, if using. The sauce is now ready to be poured over the hot pudding, but can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for three days.
Put a plate on top of the basin and, holding both plate and basin with oven gloves, turn it upside down to release the pudding. Serve with the hot toffee sauce.
