1-Begin by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C for fan-forced, which sets the stage for even baking. This step ensures your pudding develops that wonderful moist texture we’re all after.

2-First, roughly chop 280g of pitted dates and mix them with 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a bowl, then pour in 1 cup of boiling water. Let them soak until they turn soft and mash into a porridge-like texture, which takes about 10 minutes and helps create the pudding’s signature stickiness. In another bowl, beat 80g of softened unsalted butter with 1/4 cup of loosely packed brown sugar until it’s smooth and creamy, then add in 2 room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing well each time.

3-Next, gently fold in 1 1/4 cups of plain flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to the butter mixture, followed by the mashed dates and their soaking water. For a large pudding, pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or fill individual molds two-thirds full and bake for 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Once baked, poke holes in the hot pudding and pour over the warm butterscotch sauce, letting it soak for at least 10 minutes to enhance the moisture and flavor.

4-To make the sauce, combine 1 cup tightly packed brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups thickened cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 70g unsalted butter in a saucepan. Simmer the ingredients for 2 minutes until they melt together into a smooth, warm sauce. Serve the pudding warm with extra sauce and a scoop of ice cream or cream for that perfect finish.