Easy Wholesome Sticky Date Pudding

Craving something warm, comforting, and guilt-free this Christmas? This Sticky Date Pudding is the perfect treat! Made with whole wheat and naturally sweetened with dates, flavoured with some aromatic spices, this dessert is a wholesome twist on a classic favourite. It’s soft, sticky, and drenched in a luscious jaggery toffee sauce that is full of caramel flavour. Served with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, it’s the ideal indulgence to satisfy your sweet tooth – without any of the refined sugars. Enjoy this sweet, decadent dessert that feels like a warm hug, every bite!

Why Sticky Date Pudding is the Perfect Christmas Treat

Christmas is all about indulgence, but why not make those indulgent moments a little more guilt-free? This Sticky Date Pudding is naturally sweetened with dates, which not only add a deep, caramel-like sweetness but also pack a punch of nutrients. Dates are full of fibre, potassium, and antioxidants, making this dessert a treat that’s as good for your body as it is for your taste buds.

The jaggery toffee sauce is rich, earthy, and adds a delightful caramelised flavour to each bite. It’s the perfect pairing with the soft, fluffy texture of the whole wheat pudding. And since it’s made with whole wheat flour instead of refined flour, this pudding feels nourishing and comforting – without the sugar overload!

A Healthier Twist on a Classic

Sticky Date Pudding or Sticky Toffee Pudding is a traditional British dessert, but we’ve given it an Indian twist with all-natural ingredients that you’ll feel great about serving this Christmas. Using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour makes the pudding heartier and more filling. The pudding is sweetened with just dates, making it healthier and not overly sweet.

Jaggery Toffee Sauce is every bit as decadent and delicious as having a caramel candy. That nostalgic taste of caramel candy in liquid form, coats the delicious date pudding inside out. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or some custard helps to balance the sweetness and makes the experience of having this dessert even more delightful! The warm, sticky pudding paired with the cool, smooth vanilla ice cream is an irresistible combination that will make your Christmas extra special.

So, this Christmas, let’s make the season even sweeter (and healthier!). The best part, you can bake these puddings and even steam them! Yes, if you aren’t a baker or do not like baking that much, oven or no oven, you can still make these delicious puddings. Steaming makes them even more moist!

Let’s have a look at the main ingredients:

Wholewheat flour forms the base for these puddings. It is has more fibre and nutrients than regular all purpose flour. It works really well in this pudding recipe too.

Dates are the only sweetener in the pudding. The traditional recipes also uses brown sugar. Since the puddings are soaked in a toffee sauce later, I feel it doesn’t need anymore sweetness than just from the dates. It also makes the puddings healthier and more balanced in terms of sweetness.

Milk helps in softening the dates and providing moisture to the pudding batter.

Ghee or Butter either will work in this recipe, both for the pudding and for the toffee sauce.

Cinnamon and Ginger flavour the pudding subtly but beautifully with their aroma.

Jaggery has a beautiful caramel note to its flavour already and it makes an amazing toffee sauce.

Cream brings in the richness and creamy texture to the toffee sauce.

If you are looking for more Christmas Bakes/Desserts that are made with healthier ingredients, you may like these recipes:

Eggless Wholewheat Christmas Fruit Cake

Wholewheat Linzer cookies with chocolate jaggery caramel

Now here is the detailed written recipe for you:

Eggless Wholewheat Sticky Date Pudding

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 mins Cooking Time: 20-30 mins 20-30 mins

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

For the pudding -

1 cup (130 g) - Wholewheat flour

80g - Deseeded Dates

1 cup (250 ml) - Milk

1/4 cup (45 g) - Ghee/Unsalted Butter

1/2 tsp - Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp - Ground Ginger

1 tsp - Baking Powder

1/2 tsp - Baking Soda

For Caramel -

1/2 cup (75 g) - Jaggery/Dark Brown sugar

2 tbsp (30 ml) - Water

2 tbsp (22 g) - Ghee/Unsalted Butter

1/4 cup (80 ml) - Fresh cream

 

Instructions

For Date Pudding -

1. Take the milk in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add the deseeded dates and switch off the heat. Make sure all the dates are covered in milk. Let it cool down for around 15-30 minutes.
2. Add the ghee and grind it all into a smooth paste.
3. In a large mixing bowl take whole wheat flour and add ground cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda. Give it a good mix.
4. Now pour in the wet ingredients. Gently fold to combine until you have an even mixture.
5. If the batters looks too thick, you can add upto 1/4 cup more water.
6. You can bake this cake in a big 7 or 8 inch pan or in smaller ramekins. Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 C for around 20 minutes if baking in ramekins or for 30-35 mins if baking it in a single pan, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. You can steam these puddings too. Nicely grease a heat proof bowl and pour the batter. Leave some room for the pudding to puff up. Cover the top with foil and steam the pudding for around 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For Toffee Sauce -

1. Take the jaggery, water and ghee/butter in a heavy bottom pan. Place it on medium heat.
2. Stir it regularly until all the jaggery & ghee has melted and the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Turn the heat to low and add in the fresh cream. Mix it in and cook it for around 4-5 minutes on low heat. Switch off the heat.
4. Once the puddings are cooked slightly, slide a knife around the edges and make sure the pudding is not stuck at the bottom.
5. With a skewer, poke holes all over the pudding and pour the luscious toffee sauce all over the pudding. Let the pudding site for around 1-2 hours until it soaks up all the sauce.

For serving, place a plate over the pan and flip it upside down. 

Drizzle some more caramel, scoop some vanilla ice cream on top with one more drizzle of toffee sauce. 

Did You Make This Recipe?

Have you made this recipe? Tag me on Instagram at @VanillaTrails and use the hashtag #MadeWithVanillaTrails.