Vegan sticky date pudding

• 1 cup almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
• 2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• ³⁄4 cup gluten-free flour mix (see recipe)
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• Pinch of pink Himalayan salt

TOFFEE SAUCE

• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp salt

GLUTEN FREE FLOUR MIX

(Makes 900g flour so you will have extra)

• 1 1/3 cups brown rice flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup potato starch/flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour 

1. To make the gluten-free flour mix, mix all the flours together and store in an airtight container until needed.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper (or use a silicone mould).
3. Start with the pudding. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk and dates for 5–10 minutes until the dates have softened. Once softened, set aside.
4. In a blender, blitz the coconut sugar and melted coconut oil until the sugar has mostly disintegrated.
5. Add the bicarb soda to the milk and date mix – it will start to fizz and bubble, but that is okay.
6. In a large bowl, combine the flour, vanilla seeds, spices, and pinch of salt. Add in the coconut oil and sugar mixture along with the date and milk mixture, then give everything a good stir. Pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. While the pudding is cooking, make the sauce. Heat a pan over medium heat, add the coconut sugar and coconut milk and let it heat through.
8. Add the salt and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes until the caramel has thickened. Stir it occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. A great way of knowing if it’s ready is to see if it sticks to the back of your spoon. Stir in a little more salt if desired and either use it straightaway or let it cool down before storing in a glass jar – it will become even thicker as it cools.
9. Once the cake is cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with a drizzle of warm sticky toffee sauce.