Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Hello Everyone.How you all doing?I never ever used Dates in cooking before Although I have to finish those Dates I bought earlier which sitting on pantry and keep asking me "Why not used me yet"?.Hahaha see what I made with those dates.

This is new to me,I never made a sticky pudding before either.But this easy peasy recipe which I came across on My Food Trail while searching for  Dates sort a recipes deserved me to made.I made it few days ago,its were the lightest,fluffiest and yummiest sticky date pudding.I indulged within it but I'm much more prefer to  eat just the dates pudding rather then adding a butterscotch sauce.I also booked marked few dates recipe which probably I'm going to make in my spare time. 

Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce
Makes 12
Ingredients:
180g Dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1¼ cups (310ml) Water
½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
¾ cup (165g) Firmly packed Brown sugar(I used 120g)
60g Butter, softened chopped
2 eggs
1 cup (150g) Self-raising flour

Butterscotch sauce
Ingredients:
50g Butter
1 cup (220g) Brown sugar
1 cup (250ml) Cream
1 tsp vanilla Extract
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. Place dates and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Remove from the heat. Add bicarbonate of soda, stir until dates start to break down, set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. The mixture will fizz up when you add the bi-carb.
3. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl using a hand beater, gradually add eggs one at a time, beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add date mixture, stir to combine. Carefully fold through sifted flour.
5. Divide mixture evenly between 12 holes. Mixture will be roughly 1cm from the top.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and skewer comes out clean.
7. For the butterscotch sauce, combine butter, sugar, cream and vanilla in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring sauce to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. I added an extra tablespoon of cream.
8. To serve, invert the hot pudding onto a serving plate, top with butterscotch sauce and serve with cream or ice cream. Best served warm.

*To warm them up again, put them in the microwave before serving.
 A great sticky date pudding should be warm, soft and fluffy without big chunks of date and served with a side of vanilla ice cream.