Slow cooker sticky date pudding for everyone
By Alyce Alexandra
For everyone! Because firstly, it's so moreish and delicious everyone will want a slice, and secondly, it's free of dairy, eggs, soy and nuts (also making it vegan), and you can happily sub in gluten-free flour.
Ingredients Method
- 2 cups (280g) pitted dates
- 1 cup (250ml) boiling water
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal*
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ cup (110g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lighttasting olive oil, extra for greasing
- 1½ teaspoons mixed spice
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour**
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Extras
- 2L pudding basin or small casserole dish (preferably with lid) that fits inside slow cooker
- Place dates, water, flaxseed meal and bicarbonate of soda in a high-powered blender or food processor, stir to combine. Stand for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar, oil and spice. Process until well combined and dates are chopped but still a little chunky, 5–10 seconds.
- Add flour and baking powder, process on low speed until just combined. Fold any leftover flour in with a spatula.
- Grease a 2 L pudding basin with olive oil using a pastry brush. Pour in date mixture. Give it a couple of bangs on the bench to release any air bubbles. Cover pudding with lid or foil, sealing tightly.
- Place inside slow cooker, then add water until pudding basin is two-thirds submerged. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high.
- Five hours later, check a skewer inserted in the pudding comes out more or less clean – not covered in raw mixture. If needed, cover and cook for a further 30 minutes on high.
- Once cooked, remove pudding basin from slow cooker and allow to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate.
Recipe courtesy of Modern Slow Cooker (Viking) by Alyce Alexandra, RRP $29.99.