Tantallons' Walnut or Pecan Nut Toffee Pudding

“This is Julie Trubshaw’s, from Tantallon Guest House and Cookery Studio in the Midlands, Walnut or Pecan Nut Toffee pudding. It looks like a recipe to try and then keep for a chilly upcoming evening. Winter Indulgence!”

— Jackie Cameron

Walnut or Pecan Nut Toffee Pudding

This dessert is sheer indulgence. Full of goodness. The dates provide a wonderful sweet flavour and soft moist texture. The praline nuts add wonderful crunch and the creamy toffee sauce – yum. I add a bit of chopped ginger to the toffee sauce as well. Great as a winter dessert or as an alternative Christmas pudding. With a home made vanilla bean ice cream or gelato - delicious.

Serves: 6 to 10 (depends on the portion size and the size of the individual moulds used)

Ingredients:

200g Dates, stoned
100g (1 packet) Walnuts or pecan nuts
1 Carrot, peeled and grated
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
30ml (2 tablespoons) Illovo Ginger in syrup and 1 piece of ginger cut up or small piece of grated fresh ginger
60ml (4 tablespoons) Brandy
100g Butter, cut into cubes – must be chilled
2 Eggs, whisked
140g Brown sugar
170g Flour
5ml (1 tsp) Baking powder
5ml (1 tsp) Bicarbonate of soda

Walnut Toffee Sauce:

1 cup Brown sugar or treacle sugar
25g (¼ packet) Walnuts or pecan nuts, roughly chopped
100g Butter
100ml (6½ tablespoons) Cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 160˚C. Prepare 1 x 1.5l cake mould or cake tin, or 6 to 10 individual ramekins or dariole moulds. Butter and line the base with greaseproof paper.
Put the dates into a food processor and roughly chop, add the walnuts, grated carrot and apple, ginger syrup and brandy. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
Add the butter eggs and sugar and blend a few times to combine.
Add the sifted flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and pulse until well blended. Do not leave the machine running only pulse.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the pudding comes out clean – well almost clean – it will be wet from the fruit but must not be doughy.
To make the sauce - for the walnut praline - place the sugar in a pan over medium heat, allow the sugar to melt and start to become golden. Add the chopped walnuts and mix until they are completely coated, remove the coated walnuts with a slotted spoon and place on a greased baking sheet. Add the butter and cream to the caramel in the pan and return to the heat, bring it to the simmer and stir to make a sauce.
Break the praline into pieces. Turn the pudding out and spoon some of the sauce over the pudding and decorate with the walnut praline. Serve with extra sauce and Chantilly cream or ice cream.