3 large egg whites
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
¾ cup chopped dates
½ cup milk
CARAMEL SAUCE:
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6-cup baking dish.
In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Stir in the vanilla. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and dates. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the butter mixture.
Stir a dollop of the egg whites into the butter mixture, and then fold in the rest until slightly streaky. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with a buttered piece of foil. Place the baking dish in a Dutch oven and add water halfway up the bowl. Bake 55 minutes. If the center of the pudding is runny, bake 20 minutes longer and check again. Remove from the oven when the center is set.
While the pudding is baking, prepare the caramel sauce. In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, cream, and corn syrup. Stir over low heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Cool slightly.
Turn the pudding out onto a large platter, and poke holes in it with a chopstick. Top with enough caramel sauce to fill the holes. Serve warm with additional sauce.
Makes 6 servings
Shirley Murphy, Lady Smurf
Red Hat Divas,
Toronto, Ontario