Dessert

Sticky date pudding

Name: Sticky date pudding
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 7–9
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 280 g pitted dates, roughly chopped; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water; 45 g (¼ cup, loosely packed) brown sugar (pudding); 80 g unsalted butter, softened; 2 eggs, room temperature; 185 g (1¼ cups) plain flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; 200 g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar (sauce); 375 ml (1½ cups) thickened cream; ½ tsp vanilla extract; 70 g unsalted butter (sauce); Ice cream or cream, to serve

Serves 7–9 Prep 15 min Cook 35 min Total 50 min

Sticky date pudding sits in our dessert collection for puddings after roast night, birthdays, and bring-a-plate invites. We keep the voice practical — what to buy, what heat to use, and how to tell when it is done. Serves 7–9 with about 15 min prep and 35 min cook time (around 50 min total). That is a home estimate — ovens and pans vary, so use colour and texture as well as the clock. Key building blocks: pitted dates, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. If you need a substitute, change one thing at a time and expect the texture notes below to matter more than the timer. Use it for puddings after roast night, birthdays, and bring-a-plate invites, then serve warm or chilled depending on the style. Portion generously; leftovers keep if covered in the fridge. Metric spoons here mean a 20 ml tablespoon and a 5 ml teaspoon. Method opens with: “Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20 cm square pan (or 7 pudding moulds) and line if using a pan.”. Follow the order as written; jumping ahead is how pans crowd and sauces split.

Notes

Putting it together for Sticky date pudding: work clean, taste as you go, and do not rush browning or reduction steps if they appear in the method. If you are cooking for mixed diets, plate sauces and toppings separately where practical. Keep this page bookmarked if it becomes a household regular — we update wording when cooks report a confusing step. Metric consistency across Scoops & Dishes means once you trust the cups and scales here, breakfast through dessert behaves the same way.
From our tested tip, expanded: Poke holes and soak with sauce while hot — that is what makes it dark, sticky and moist. Mash the dates well or you get pale blotches. Treat that as the non-negotiable. If something still feels off — too wet, too pale, too tight — adjust one variable at a time (heat, liquid, or bake time) rather than changing three things at once.
Before the heat goes on, line up pitted dates, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water and anything perishable from the list. Soften butter, bring eggs off the fridge if the method needs them room-temp, and preheat so you are not waiting mid-recipe. For a dessert cook of this size (7–9), a clear bench saves more time than any gadget.
Shopping and mise en place: read the full ingredient list once before you start. For Sticky date pudding, pitted dates and bicarbonate of soda are the items that decide whether the dish tastes flat or properly seasoned. Weigh where grams are given — volume cups are fine for liquids and some dry goods, but baking ratios are tighter if you use scales. Australian cups are 250 ml; a tablespoon is 20 ml and a teaspoon is 5 ml.