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Vegan Sticky Date Pudding

Vegan Sticky Date Pudding

With all of the holiday baking many of us are doing, this simple but unusual cake is a nice change of pace. You could even serve it at breakfast or brunch. I am going to do just that.

Course Dessert
Keyword vegan sticky date pudding
Yields 8 9-inch cake
Author Fran Costigan

Ingredients

The Liquid Topping for the Batter

  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (I used decaffinated)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2/3 cup whole cane sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura)
  • 1 ounce vegan butter

Vanilla Date Cream to Pour Over the Hot, Baked Cake

  • 1/4 cup Vanilla Pastry Cream thinned with 2 tablespoons silan.

The Cake

  • 1/2 cup soymilk or oatmilk
  • 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) whole Medjool dates, pitted
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole cane sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura), ground in a blender until fine
  • 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil (I used sunflower)

Instructions

Make the Liquid Topping to Pour Over the Batter

  1. Bring the coffee, 1 cup of water, and the 2/3 cup of the whole cane sugar to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low, add the butter and stir until melted. Keep this liquid warm while you make the cake.

Make the Batter

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Oil a 9 x 3 inch round cake pan and set the pan on a rimmed sheet pan.
  2. This will make it easier to move the cake in and out of the oven.
  3. Make the buttermilk substitution. Mix the soymilk and apple cider vinegar in a small dish or in the measuring cup and set aside to clabber.
  4. If the dates are hard, steam them for a few minutes. Cut each date into about 6 pieces. You should have 1 cup packed so add more if needed.
  5. Set a wire mesh strainer over a mixing bowl and sift the flours, whole cane sugar, baking powder, salt into the bowl. Whisk to aerate the dry ingredients.
  6. Mix the oil into the buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients along with the dates and nuts, and mix all together to make a thick batter.
  7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and push it into an even layer. I use an offset spatula. Set the pan on the baking sheet. Bring the liquid topping for the batter back to a boil and pour it all over the cake.
  8. Bake 23 to 25 minutes, until you see a gooey sauce puddle up around the edges of the pan.
  9. Pour the Vanilla Date Cream over the hot cake.
  10. Serve warm or at room temperature with more of the Vanilla Date Cream or add a scoop of with vegan ice cream.