Ingredients

Method

• ¾ cup hot rooibos tea
• 200 g dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 t bicarbonate of soda
• 300 g cake wheat flour
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 100 g pecan nuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1 t allspice
• 1 t salt
• 200 g softened butter
• 200 g treacle sugar
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 4 large free-range eggs
For the toffee sauce:
• 100 g butter
• 80 g treacle sugar
• ¼ cup golden syrup
• 1 cup fresh cream, room temperature
• a pinch of sea salt, to taste
For serving:
• vanilla ice cream
• reserved toasted pecan nuts
• toasted coconut flakes

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a 30 x 20 cm brownie tin, a cast-iron pan or flat potjie (the dish can be oval or rectangular).

2. Place the hot tea and dates into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Add the bicarb and allow it to foam, then cook for a minute or so until it stops foaming. Remove from the heat. Roughly mash with a fork, then set aside to cool.

3. Add the flour, carrots, pecan nuts (reserving a few to serve), baking powder, spices and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine, then tip into the wet ingredients. Add the mashed dates and fold in with a spatula until well combined, with no dry flour visible. Pour the batter into the baking tin. Smooth the top, then pop it into the oven for 25 minutes.

4. To make the sauce, melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a small pot. Whisk in the cream and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce turns a rich caramel colour. Season with salt and remove from the heat.

5. While the pudding is still hot, prick it all over with a toothpick and pour over half the caramel sauce. Allow to stand for a few minutes to absorb the sauce. Serve the pudding with vanilla ice cream, the reserved pecan nuts and toasted coconut flakes. Drizzle over the remaining sauce.

Find more pudding recipes here

Extracted with permission from "The Good Stuff" by Karl Tessendorf and published by Penguin Random House South Africa.