If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this is the dessert for you!

Ingredients (makes 7):
200g stoned dates
180ml boiling water
2 tsp vanilla essence
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs
85g butter
125g demerara sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
100ml milk

For the sauce:
175g light muscovado sugar
50g butter
300ml double cream
1 tbsp black treacle

Method:
1. Chop up the dates into small pieces, put them in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave the mixture to cool, then either mash with a fork if you’d like bits of date in your puddings or blitz to make it smooth. Stir in the vanilla essence.

2. Grease and flour the pudding tins and pop them on a baking tray. Turn on the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C/gas 4).

3. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Put the flour and bicarbonate in another bowl.

4. Beat the butter and demerara sugar together in a large bowl until creamy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well each time.

5. Stir in the black treacle then gently fold in half of the flour mix, then half of the milk. Gently fold in the rest of the flour followed by the milk.

6. Carefully stir the dates into the mixture then spoon equally into the pudding tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm. Leave in the tins for a few minutes whilst you make the sauce.

7. To make the sauce, put the muscovado sugar, butter and half of the cream into a saucepan. Gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved.

8. Stir in the black treacle then let the mixture bubble for a couple of minutes, stirring now and then to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat and mix in the rest of the cream.

9. Turn the puddings out into bowls, pour over some sauce and serve with cream, ice cream or custard.

Tip: To help use up your tin of black treacle, you could make Christmas cake, gingerbread, ginger parkin or flapjacks, or add a bitter, caramelised flavour to marinades, glazes or sauces.