Warm Date-Cranberry Pudding With Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients:

130g pitted dates
40g dried cranberries
240ml orange juice
zest of 1 orange
50g butter
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
85g brown sugar
110g self-raising flour, sift
2 eggs
1 tbsp cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate, chopped

• Grease a deep 14cm square baking tin.  Line base with baking paper.
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
• Combine dates, cranberries and water in a saucepan.  Bring to the boil.  Remove from heat and add in bicarbonate of soda.  Let it stand for 5 minutes.  
• Process the dates mixture in a food processor until smooth.   Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until pale in colour.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add in orange zest.
• Fold in flour and cocoa powder.  Stir in dates mixture and chopped chocolate.
• Pour batter into prepared tin.  
• Bake for about 50 minutes or until cake is cooked.
• Remove cake from the oven.  Prick holes all over the surface of the cake and drizzle some butterscotch sauce over the top.  Return cake to the oven.  Bake a further 5 minutes.
• Serve warm with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Butterscotch Sauce

120g coconut sugar, shaved (or brown sugar)
50g butter
1/2 cup cream

• Combine butter and sugar in a small saucepan.
• Stir over low heat until sugar dissolved.  Let simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Finally, stir in cream.