“In my experience, clever food is not appreciated at Christmas. It makes the little ones cry and the old ones nervous.”
-- Jane Grigson
Christmas time is my absolute favourite time of the year. It isn't just because I love the snow and how quiet everything becomes, but it's also because for one season at least, people seem to drop their defenses and say something nice to another stranger.
I don't always want to eat something completely healthy and void of butter, but I have to admit that this recipe, for what I think can be considered a remake of a figgy pudding, happily surprised me and I would happily eat this after a warm family dinner.
It's not a light dessert, but I still think it's worth it! And in my opinion, although I like the date drizzle that is in the recipe, I love it even more with some hot cream custard!
All right, that enough talk! Let's get to the recipe!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (200g) - Dates (pitted)
3/4 cup (160ml) - Boiling Water
2 Bay Leaves (or 1 bag of Earl Grey Tea)
1 tsp - Baking Soda
1/2 cup (120g) - Almond Butter
1 tsp - Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp - Dark Molasses
1 tbsp - Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup (33g) - Coconut Flour
1/4 cup (50g) - Potato Starch
1/4 tsp - Salt
1/4 cup (35g) - Raisins
3/4 cup (100g) - Dates (pitted)
1 cup (200ml) - Almond Milk
Directions:
Boil the water and pour over the dates. Cover and wait for 30 minutes.
When the time is up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pour the dates with the water into a food processor and blitz on high until smooth.
Add the almond butter, vanilla extract, molasses and apple cider vinegar. Blitz on high again until a smooth batter forms.
Remove the top of the food processor, and add the coconut flour, potato starch and salt. Blitz until almost all the flour is incorporated. Take off the top, remove the blade, add the raisins and use a spatula or wooden spoon to finish mixing.
Grease a dome cake pan and pour the batter in. Smooth the batter out with a spatula, and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
All it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it and place on a cooling rack.
For the date drizzle: Pour boiling water over the second batch of dates and cover for 30 minutes.
When the time is up, drain the dates and place them into the food processor. Add half of the milk and blitz on high. Add the remaining milk and blitz on high again.
For a smoother drizzle, use an emulsifier.
Pour the date mixture into a small pan and bring to a light boil. Add the vanilla extract 5 minutes before taking off the heat, and stir to incorporate.
Place the pudding, flat surface face down, on a plate and pour the date drizzle all over until the entire pudding is covered. Only do this part when you are about to serve.
Slice into individual pieces, and enjoy!
Merry Christmas!
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