INGREDIENTSMETHOD


  1. 250g block dried, stoned date, chopped.
  2. 125g butter, at room temperature.
  3. 85g light muscovado sugar.
  4. 140g self-raising flour.
  5. 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda.
  6. 1 tsp ground mixed spice.
  7. 2 large eggs.
  8. 50g raisin.
  9. 50g chopped candied peel.
  10. 85g pecan, chopped.
  11. 2 pieces stem ginger, cut into thin shreds
For the brandy syrup
  1. 85g light muscovado sugar.
  2. 150ml brandy.
To serve
  1. 25g toasted pecan, chopped.
  2. 1 holly sprig.
  3. icing sugar, for dusting.


Method
STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour 300ml boiling water over the chopped dates and set aside. Butter a 1.4-litre pudding basin and put a disc of baking parchment in the base. Put the butter, sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and eggs into a large bowl, then beat with an electric hand whisk until really well blended. Add the cooled date mixture, then beat again to make a sloppy batter.

STEP 2
Stir in the fruits, nuts and ginger, then pour into the pudding basin and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 1 hr, cover the top lightly with foil, then return to the oven for 25 mins more until a skewer inserted into the pudding comes out clean.

STEP 3
Meanwhile, make the brandy syrup. Put the sugar and 50ml water in a pan and stir over the heat until syrupy. Stir in the brandy and remove from the heat. When the pudding is ready, remove from the oven and push a skewer into it in several places. Pour over the brandy syrup so it soaks into the pudding, then cover until ready to serve.

STEP 4
Turn out onto a plate, scatter with the pecans and top with the holly sprig, dusted with icing sugar. Serve with good-quality vanilla ice cream.


Baked pumpkin pudding

Sort of pumpkin pie with little or no crust. Why waste space on crust when you can have more pumpkin? I use a spring-form pan, but the recipe uses ramekins. Just scale it up if you want to use a larger pan. The photo shows a thin graham crust - optional


INGREDIENTSMETHOD


For the brandy syrup
To serve






bread:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/breadandbutterpuddin_85936