You don’t have to be an expert baker to bring this much-loved dessert into your life, because it’s a very easy recipe. This warm, dark, moist sponge cake has a cloud-like texture that gently melts in the mout,h while dancing on the tongue is the slightly salty, slightly sweet, smooth butterscotch sauce, finished off with a scoop of cool, creamy vanilla ice cream.

This dessert is the ultimate comfort food and what winter dreams are made of. It’s the epitome of a crowd pleaser and the look on your friends’ and family’s faces as they delightfully devour each and every spoonful will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. It’s great for a decadent afternoon tea with the girls or even as a birthday cake for those born in these cooler months. I’ve added a little salt to the sauce to help balance out the richness, and I have also reduced the amount of sugar in the pudding, which ensures the dish is not sickly sweet, a personal bugbear of mine in desserts.

Did you know? Sticky date pudding is the Australian version of the sticky toffee pudding from England. This dessert has been around for decades, and for good reason. Like many dishes, its origins are full of mystery, and quite a few places put their hand up as being the inventor of this quintessential British dish. Cumbria in the North of England seems to be the most logical birthplace, as it seems more than coincidence that the two most characteristic ingredients of sticky toffee pudding, that is, sugar and dates, flowed freely into Cumbria from the 17th century onwards via its port city of Whitehaven, with direct trade from the Caribbean.

Chef Dylan tip: As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, you want to poke lots of small holes into the cake using a skewer. Then carefully pour over some hot butterscotch sauce. This takes it to the next level as it makes the pudding decadently moist and gives the pudding that classic dark colour. It also means this pudding keeps for more than a week in the fridge (if it somehow lasts that long without being eaten) and magically, when reheated in the microwave, it tastes just like it’s fresh out of the oven. If you want an especially thick sauce, just make a slurry of 1 teaspoon of cornflour and 1 teaspoon of water, and add it once boiled, then bring to the boil again whilst stirring.

June 1989 Hurstville, Sydney
Sitting with my legs outstretched on my grandmother’s 2-seater sofa, I share a blanket with my younger brother Ryan. An old gas heater is glowing red in the corner, doing its best to warm the small TV room. One of my favourite shows ‘Astro Boy’ is just finishing; suddenly feeling a shiver of cold, I yank the blanket, pulling it away from Ryan .“Ahh I’m freezing!” he protests as he tries to pull it back. A tug of war ensues; he’s surprisingly strong, but I whip it away totally now. “NAAAAAAN!” he cries out.

“What’s going on in here you two?!” she inquires, striding into the room wielding a wooden spoon. "Dylan won’t share the blanket” sobs Ryan. Nan takes a deep sigh "Give your brother the blanket” she demands, pointing the wooden spoon at me threateningly. I obey and he quickly wraps himself up like a butterfly larva in a cocoon and smugly pokes his tongue out. I lunge at him but quick as a flash, Nan grabs the back of my shirt, lifts me off the lounge on to my feet. “Right, that’s enough! You come with me to the kitchen while I make tea and let your brother be” she says sternly whilst nudging me towards the doorway. I turn back to see Ryan with his thumb on his nose whilst wiggling his fingers in delight until the ‘Banana Man’ intro theme tune draws his attention back to the screen.

Once in the kitchen, Nan plonks me on the bench next to the stove. “Don’t touch, they’re hot” she commands speaking softer now. I see a pot simmering gently with a large piece of silverside; I sniff the steam and recoil at the vinegary smell. There are carrots, beans and peas in another pot and some bone-white potatoes bubbling in another. “You are going to help me make the pudding” she declares, pulling out a bowl and an old handheld beater from the cupboard. “Hold here and turn the handle just like this” she demonstrates, sending the two whisks spinning. Butter goes in, then some sugar then eggs and flour and suddenly it’s done. All without measuring a thing. In a flash it’s in the cake tin and sliding into the oven. "Here, you can lick the spoon” she says kindly. Awestruck I sit happily whilst watching my new superhero, super nan, whizz gracefully around the kitchen.

Serves 8
Prep time 15mins, Cook time 35 mins
INGREDIENTS

Pudding Ingredients:
- 280g pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp bi-carb soda
- 250ml boiling water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
- 80g butter softened
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour

Butterscotch Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
- 300 ml thickened cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 70g butter

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Grease and line a 20 cm square cake tin (with some greaseproof coming up over the edges)

METHOD
Dates:
- Place dates in a bowl, sprinkle over bicarb soda.
- Pour over boiling water. Stand 10 minutes, then smash well with a fork until it becomes a rough puree.

For the butterscotch sauce:
- Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir, then turn down to low and bring to simmer.
- Simmer to thicken and bubble for 2 mins.

For the pudding:
1. Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until combined and smooth.
2. Add eggs, whisk until combined.
3. Add flour. Fold until flour is just incorporated.
4. Add dates, fold in with a spatula quickly until dates are well incorporated into the batter.
5. Pour into the cake tin, smooth and even the surface.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. While still hot, poke plenty of holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch Sauce, leave to soak for 10 minutes.
8. Use overhang to pull the cake out.
9. Portion up and serve still warm with butterscotch sauce and ice cream.