Chocolate Fig & Date Pudding

On a leaflet from Haigh's Chocolate Shop. This is a hot baked pudding. If you can't find dark orange chocolate add 1 tsp of orange oil or 2 tsp orange zest and use plain dark chocolate for the sauce.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 150  g chocolate, dark 70%
• 250  g dates
• 250  g figs, dried & chopped
• 900  ml water
• 10  g bicarbonate of soda
• 120  g butter
• 500  g sugar
• 6  eggs
• 15  ml vanilla bean paste
• 500  g self-rising flour
• 1⁄4 cup  cocoa
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• Sauce

• 450  g chocolate, orange flavoured
• 250  ml milk
• 60  g brown sugar
• 35  g butter, unsalted

Directions

1. Bring the water to the boil, then add the figs and dates.
2. Add in the bicarb and stir well to combine. Remove from heat and cool at least 2 hours to reach room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 160°C.
4. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa and set aside.
5. Cream the butter, then add the sugar, vanilla and egss and beat until light and fluffy.
6. Line a 33cm x 23cm cake pan with baking paper.
7. Add half the fig and date mixtrue to the butter mix and mix on a low speed until combined.
8. Melt the chocolate by finely chopping and setting over a pan of barely simmering water. Add the melted chocolate to the pudding mixture along with the flour/cocoa and mix to well combined.
9. Pour into prepared cake pan and smooth top.
10. Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour. Test with skewer for doness.
11. Serve warm with sauce.
12. Sauce.
13. Boil the milk and cream together.
14. Take off heat and add the chopped chocolate, sugar and butter.
15. Stir until smooth.