Sticky Date Pudding

Yum!

1/2 cup Butter
1 1/4 cup Chopped pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup Self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder

For the Sauce
250g cup butter
1/2 cup cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

Place dates in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer the dates for about 3 minutes and then remove from heat and add baking soda (it will foam)

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and then beat in the eggs. Mix in the vanilla and then mix in the flour and baking powder. Add about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid from the dates and mix through to form a thick batter. Drain off the rest of the cooking liquid from the dates and add them to the batter. (Sometimes I just add the whole lot together unless there is a lot of liquid).

Put the batter in a cake tin and bake 30-40 mins until cooked through.

SAUCE
Meanwhile prepare the caramel sauce. Simply add all the sauce incredients together in a small pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3 minutes.

TO SERVE
When you take the cake out of the oven cut a cross in the middle and then drizzle sauce into the cross and all over the top of the cake. Allow to soak into the cake while hot. Save a little sauce for serving. Serve hot.