Cardamom Tahini Date Sticky Puddings

Ingredients

Date sponge

• 1 tsp unsalted butter, for ramekins
• 6 oz (170 g) pitted dates, chopped
• ¾ cup boiling water
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
• ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp fine salt

Tahini caramel

• ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp tahini, stirred smooth
• ⅛ tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp chopped unsalted pistachios

Equipment

Six 6-fl-oz oven-safe ramekins, blender or food processor, saucepan

Allergens and ingredient notes: Wheat, egg, milk, sesame, pistachio.

Step by step

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease ramekins with their measured butter and set on a baking sheet. Combine dates, boiling water, and baking soda in a heatproof bowl. Soak 15 minutes, then blend to a rough purée, allowing steam to escape safely.
2. Beat the sponge butter and its brown sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom, and sponge salt separately. Fold these dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with all the date purée and its soaking liquid, just until combined.
3. Divide among the six ramekins, no more than two-thirds full. Bake 22–28 minutes until the tops spring back and a skewer comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter. Rest 10 minutes.
4. For the caramel, combine its separate brown sugar, cream, and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in tahini and the separate ⅛ tsp salt until smooth.
5. Serve puddings in their ramekins on heatproof plates. Divide all warm tahini caramel over the tops and scatter with pistachios. The sauce thickens as it cools; warm gently before spooning.

The Devotti twist: Tahini gives a toasted sesame edge to sticky-date caramel, balanced by a small amount of cardamom in the sponge.

Make ahead and storage

Refrigerate puddings and sauce separately within 2 hours; use within 3 days. Reheat sauce gently and warm puddings through before serving.

Image: AI-generated recipe illustration; homemade results and presentation will vary.