Banana And Date Pudding With Toffee Sauce, Caramelised Banana And Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients                       

PUDDING
250g plain flour
5g bicarbonate of soda 120g butter (soft)
120g soft brown sugar 2 eggs
5 bananas (ripe) 100g chopped dates 25ml dark rum
10g caster sugar

TOFFEE SAUCE
250g soft brown sugar 50g golden syrup
50g butter
1 vanilla (scraped seeds and pod) 250ml cream
Buy a good quality vanilla ice cream.

Method

PUDDING

• Pre-heat your oven to 160°C.
• Line a round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
• Soak the dates in the rum and set aside for half an hour.
• Using a food mixer with the whisk attachments, cream the butter and the sugar.
• Add the eggs and 4 bananas and mix well until all is combined.
• Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the soaked dates.
• Pour into the lined tin and bake for 45 mins - 1 hour.
• Check with a skewer and if it comes out clean it is done.

TOFFEE SAUCE

• In a large pot melt the butter on a low heat and add the sugar, golden syrup, butter and vanilla.
• Stir until the sugar has melted.
• In a separate pot heat the cream then add the cream to the sugar mix. Stir well to combine.
• Bring to the boil and lower the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Be very careful when making the sauce - it can boil over very easily and is extremely hot.

TO SERVE

• Slice the remaining banana diagonally and place on a baking tray.
• Sprinkle with the caster sugar and burn with a blow torch.
• Portion the pudding and place in a bowl, pour over the warm sauce and serve with ice-cream and the caramelised banana