Ingredients (serves 4) 1 cup self-raising flour 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1/2 cup caster sugar 150g (about 6) fresh dates, deseeded, finely chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 75g butter, melted, cooled Cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve
Sauce: 2/3 cup firmly-packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 1/3 cups boiling water 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
Method Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease four 1 1/4-cup capacity, ovenproof ramekins and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Stir in caster sugar and dates (make sure dates don't clump). Whisk vanilla, milk, egg and butter together in a jug. Pour into flour mixture. Gently stir to combine. Spoon into prepared dishes. Smooth surface.
Make sauce: Combine brown sugar and cocoa in a bowl. Sprinkle over puddings. Combine boiling water and coffee powder in a heatproof jug, stirring to dissolve coffee. Pour 1/3 cup coffee over the back of a metal spoon, over each pudding. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted halfway into puddings comes out clean and sauce bubbles around the edges. Serve immediately with cream or ice-cream.
