This luscious Sticky Date Pudding with Rum Caramel Sauce is so delicious. What can be richer and more delicious than a warm egg-free date cake topped with caramel sauce and served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream? Talk about comforting and rich desserts, eh?
Trust me, it’s all about the dates! What makes this sticky date pudding with caramel extraordinary is the quality of the dates that you use. The natural rich sweetness of plump dates and homemade caramel turns this old-time winter favorite even more luscious. Homemade rum caramel sauce adds loads of flavor and moistness to this already rich cake. And I’m not kidding! This dessert will make you HAPPY making your perfect fall evening dinners or autumn tea parties or long winter night snacking even all the more memorable.
Cozy up with your loved ones and enjoy this deliriously delicious egg free sticky date pudding. Pour the rum caramel sauce over the warm cake and top it with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and see the magic. 🙂
I made this Sticky Date Pudding with Rum Sauce, keeping my Ma in my mind. Mother’s Day is this month and I wanted to make something that she would actually like, and dedicate a post to her. All my recipes have her touch in some way or other.., so it doesn’t make sense to dedicate only this one to her.
Date cakes are not new to me. I invariably always make them, every time my parents visit me here. But this time, I added this Rum Caramel sauce as a twist, and also instead of baking the date cake in a loaf pan, I baked these as individual servings. Two reasons – Easier to serve and store and reheat. Second, you don’t have to douse the whole cake with rum sauce.
These individual servings are best when people are picky about how they want them. Speaking for myself, I want my Sticky Date Puddings with Rum Caramel Sauce a little warmed up and then topped with some good vanilla ice cream.
Why its called Sticky Date Pudding?
The invention of the dish, known in the UK as Sticky Toffee Pudding, is generally attributed to Francis Coulson of the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in England’s Lake District in 1960, although this has been challenged by writers from Scotland and Yorkshire. This dish is common in New Zealand and Australia, although in the UK it is known as sticky toffee pudding.
What’s in the name!! Be it a sticky date or sticky toffee pudding, it’s such a delicious and utterly fulfilling dessert. Though the traditionally sticky butterscotch sauce is topped over the date cakes, I have used a rum caramel sauce.
Why you will love this egg free date cake recipe?
- Individual servings of sticky date puddings – Give this pudding a professional-looking finish by serving it in individual portions. This is also a great recipe to make for one or two, as the remaining puddings can be added to the freezer ready to pull out throughout the cold winter months.
- Egg Free and Butter free
- Topped with a home made caramel sauce – Homemade caramel is made separately and poured over the individual serves, ensuring everyone gets plenty to satisfy their sweet cravings.
- A very Simple and easy recipe.
- A make-ahead recipe that stores well. All it needs is re-heating before serving.
- Soft, moist and tender pudding texture.
Ingredients used in sticky date pudding with caramel sauce
- Dates – Dates are key to the success of this sticky date pudding recipe. I have used good quality medjool dates. Dates are available in almost all leading grocery stores
- Flour – For the pudding cakes, I have used all purpose flour. APF makes the cakes spongy. Alternatively, whole wheat flour can be used as well.
- Milk – I have used regular full fat milk to soak the dates.
- Sugar – I have used dark brown sugar to make the date cake puddings. Love how the brown sugar imparts that caramel hue to the cakes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda
- Salt -You need a pinch of salt in everything
- Butter – I have used unsalted butter to make the caramel sauce
- Rum – This is purely optional. Omit rum in the caramel sauce if you aren’t fond of the taste.
- Vanilla Essence – Vanilla makes everything oh-so-perfect
Steps to make Sticky Date Pudding with Rum Caramel Sauce
Lets first make the rum caramel sauce –
How to make the rum caramel sauce
- Step 1 -Combine the sugar and hot water in a heavy saucepan, and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and turns a deep brown color, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Step 2 -Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream (be careful — the mixture will splatter). Return the pan to the heat and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the sauce is thick and creamy, stirring occasionally to help incorporate the cream, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3 -Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum, vanilla, and butter. Pour into a container and let cool completely. The caramel sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
How to make Individual Date Cakes
- Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
- Step 2 – Heat milk and seedless dates for few minutes or microwave them so that dates becomes soft and mushy.
- Step 3 – Grind the milk and date mixture to a smooth texture. A few pieces here and there is ok!! Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add sugar and oil.
- Step 4 – Sieve together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients into the wet one-table spoon at a time and mix slowly.
- Step 5 – Divide the pudding batter between the muffin pan
- Step 6 – Bake the sticky date puddings for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and the center springs back when lightly pressed.
- Step 7 – Let the puddings cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning out and leaving upside down on a cooling rack.
- Step 8 – Make holes in the date cakes with a skewer and drizzle some caramel. This will make the cakes extra moist and give them that dark caramel color.
- Step 9 – Before serving pour some more caramel sauce and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
How to store & serve sticky date pudding
Serving – Sticky date pudding is best served with fresh whipped or ice cream.
Storing – Once they’re cool, wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge of freezer for later. Sticky date pudding lasts for up to a week in the fridge, or one month in the freezer. To reheat individual serves, simply cook for 30-seconds in the microwave or add to a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.
Some more Date recipes –
Sticky Date Pudding with Rum Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
For the Date Cakes
- 20 Seedless medjool dates (Khajoor)
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 3/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1 cup All purpose flour (maida)
- 1/2 cup Light olive oil
- 1 tea spoon baking powder
- 1/2 tea spoon Baking soda
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 tea spoon Vanilla essence
For Rum Caramel Sauce
- 1/4 cup Hot water
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 2 table spoon Dark rum (Optional)
- 1 tea spoon Vanilla extract
- 2 table spoon Cold unsalted butter
Instructions
Make the Egg Free Date Cakes
- Preheat over to 350 degrees F/180 degree C
- Slightly butter the muffin tins
- Pour the milk on the dates and warm in the Microwave for a minute or two.
- This will soften the dates. Grind the dates along with the milk in a blender.
- Add the sugar and oil to this date mixture and mix well.
- Shift the flour, salt, and soda together and mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture spoon by spoon. .Do not over mix. Just mix enough with a spatula so that they all blend together. Stir in the vanilla essence.
- Pour the mixture into the muffin tins and bake for 30/35 minutes
Rum Caramel Sauce
- Combine the sugar and hot water in a heavy saucepan, and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and turns a deep brown color, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream (be careful — the mixture will splatter). Return the pan to the heat and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the sauce is thick and creamy, stirring occasionally to help incorporate the cream, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum, vanilla, and butter.
Notes
PIN for Later:
This looks absolutely, divine! It’s definitely on my to-bake list 🙂
Wow! These look amazing!❤
Is this similar to sticky toffee pudding? I am making this as soon as I get the dates!
It is the Rum Caramel Sauce that caught my eye…. 😀 😀 The pudding looks delicious too. 😉
An absolute relish! Beautiful post Aish.
These look so good!! Never had dates before so now I have to try them. I love caramel so this looks perfect for a delicious dessert.
I’ve never had sticky pudding, but it sounds and looks amazingly sticky and delicious! And that rum caramel sauce?! Sign me up!
Ok, this looks like a decadent treat and with that caramel sauce, I would be over the moon about it!
Oh my gosh! Wow! Now that’s a dessert! I can’t wait to make this. It looks amazing. Total show stopper!
Mouth watering! I will give this a try and I hope it’s still delicious even if I will not put rum!
Beautiful recipe! It’s definitely worth making especially for someone as special as our mom. I think it’s nice that you added the caramel rum sauce.
I would gladly make this for me and my husband for tea time. I think it’s a lovely recipe that’s not so difficult to make.
This looks so delicious and perfectly timed! I have a package of dates left I need to use and had no idea what to make! yay!
The pictures are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it looks easy enough for me to be able to make this myself 😉
I’m so impressed by people who try creative desserts. I’m always so boring with my choices. This look delicious.
This dessert looks divine. I love using dates in my recipes because they add such a unique, rich flavor. And who can say no to a rum sauce.
I’ve never made any date dessert but this looks SO good. YUM. I love the caramel sauce, too.
Wow this is just beautiful!!!! I never thought to use dates in this way! They must be so good with that sauce too!!!
this is a gorgeous dessert! I am not a big baker but I think I could pull this one off. Thanks for the recipe
What a beautiful dessert! This looks like an amazing way to add something amazing to dinner.
These look delicious! I love that you used muffin tins so they are already in individual servings for people.
Omg can we say yum?!? I just love caramel anything!!! I will definitely be giving your recipe a try!!! Deliciousness
That looks so good! I would love to try this. As a matter of fact, I would love to have some right now, There’s nothing like rum in a recipe.
There is no sugar noted in ingredients list for sauce. Please verify ingredients in both pieces of recipe.
Hey Lynn!! Good catch. Updated the recipe now.
I can’t believe how good this dessert looks. I’m a huge chocolate fan so I know that I would love this treat.
This looks gorgeous … and I love the sound of that rum caramel sauce. This is my first time visiting your blog and I have to say, its beautiful. I can’t wait to see more.
Hi may i know if i can use this as a normal cake without the dates. As i like the eggless recipe but do not favour dates
Ah no! you have my mouth watering! After the summer I must try this… Thanks for sharing 🙂
If you have time, please check out my latest post about Brick &Liquor Cocktail bar – https://tootinghustle.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/brick-and-liquor-in-review/ and let me know what you think!
Happy blogging! x
wow so delicious! I love how dates make cakes sort of toffee like
Looks yummy .. how may muffins would this yield please ?
Oh my goodness does this sound delicious! I’m definitely saving this recipe for later!
Thank You, Gauri. About 10/12 muffins.
Stop it with that caramel drizzle!!! Yum! Making this tomorrow!
These look so moist and delicious! I am so excited to make this recipe!
Your photographs are absolutely lovely.
This looks so heavenly! I love cooking with dates and will have to try this recipe next!
oh my gosh this is literally making my mouth water! super yummy
This looks so good! Thanks for sharing 🙂 (I pinned this as well, maybe one day I will attempt it!)
Thank you, Lauren. Tag me when you make it
Thank you Abbigayle
Thank you so much
I’ve never had something like this before. It looks far too delicious!
Hi..this is my first time on your blog and i am hooked.i would like to try this but just wanna ask if i can replace wholewheat with all-purpose flour for a lighter texture?
Usha – yes, absolutely. It will taste even better.
Date pudding is in the oven and I am waiting for the result. Urs looks lovely 🙂
This looks like heaven on a plate!! Cannot wait to try it!
This looks and sounds delicious. Makes my mouth drool 🙂 Will definitely try it.
I wish I cooked more haha. This sounds so good!
Thank your sharing this recipe, it is looking delicious. I’ll try it;)
Hi I want to try this recipe for my husbands birthday, using a bundt tin! Can you tell me how much time I will need to bake the cake for amd would I use the same temperature for the oven?
The pudding looks incredibly delicious and appealing. Wonderful presentation