My mum makes the most amazing Sticky Date puddings. They truly are a decadent ‘sometimes food’ but the amount of cream and butter in the sauce means that they have been out for us for the past few years. I’ve missed the sweet warm stickyness so with this dessert I aimed for something similar but a lot healthier!

See below the recipe for a Coeliac friendly option too.

• 20 medjool dates, pitted and halved
• 2 cups very hot water
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 120g vegan butter or sunflower seed butter
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 4 cups wholemeal spelt flour
• 4 tsp GF baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground mixed spice
• 2 medium, very ripe bananas
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 150ml maple syrup
• 2 tsp tasteless coconut oil

Place dates, water, butter, sugar and bicarb in the Thermal cooker and cook at 100C on speed 2 for about 6-7 minutes, or until the mix comes to the boil. Add in the bananas and start processing on speed 3 and working your way up to speed 5 for about 20 seconds, or until the mixture is fairly smooth and consistent. (Do this in a saucepan over a medium heat with regular stirring and then transfer to a food processor or blender to do this without the thermal cooker) In a large separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, spices and seeds. Pour the date mix into the flour mix and fold together until all combined. Grease a large baking dish (this is a big cake!) and pour the mixture in. Cook in a preheated 150C oven for about 45-50minutes. As soon as you remove it from the oven, use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Mix the syrup and coconut oil together and heat gently until it is melted. Pour it evenly over the top of the cake. Best eaten warm (and with just a little cream or ice cream if your diet allows!)

To make this cake Coeliac friendly replace the spelt with 3 cups of plain GF flour mix and 1 cup of almond/seed meal.

Makes about 20 serves. This cake is quite moist and so freezes well and a half mixture works well too.

If you aren’t going to eat the cake straight from the oven, poke holes in the cake but leave the syrup off, then warm the cake and the syrup and pour over just before serving.

Enjoy 🙂