My grandmother was one of those cooks that just cooked from memory the foods that her mother taught her. Years ago I got her to measure ingredients and write down recipes that were some family favorites. This dessert has always been a hit, comfort food to end a meal on a cold winter night. This is really a moist cake rather than what I think of as a pudding.
350 degree oven, butter a round cake pan or 8x8.
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup boiling water
1 t soda
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 t vanilla
Cream butter and sugar. Wash dates and pour boiling water and soda over them, keep warm. Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar. Then, alternately add dates and water, and flour. Bake 30 minutes.
Hard Sauce (don’t know why it has that name)
In a small sauce pan combine 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1T flour. Add 3T butter, 1 1/2 cups water and one teaspoon vanilla (or a bit of bourbon if you are so inclined). Bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm with the hard sauce and a topping of whipped cream.
You can make this ahead, but if you do it is really better warm, so just heat the sauce again and warm the pudding a few seconds in the microwave before serving.
Hope you enjoy it!
A glass of good Madeira goes very well with this.