Instructions: Preheat oven to gas mark 5 375F 190C.
You will need a 1.25litre souffle dish or pudding dish.

Start off by placing half the dates in a bowl then pour the boiling water over them add the bicarbonate of soda and leave aside until cool.

Meanwhile cream the butter and sugar until pale light and fluffy and then beat in the beaten egg a little at a time.

Now sift the flour and baking powder and fold them into the rest by degrees using a metal spoon.

Next the nuts and the unsoaked dates are folded in followed by the soaked dates along with the soaking water.

Continue folding the mixture until everything is evenly distributed then pour it into a well greased cake tin and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Towards the end of the cooking time make the syrup.

This you do by simply boiling together the sugar butter and water for 5 minutes then adding the vanilla essence and brandy.

When the pudding is cooked remove it from the oven and make some holes all over with a skewer.

Pour the hot syrup on the pudding; it will be very quickly absorbed.

Serve either hot or cold.

Its quite delicious whichever way you choose.

Serve with ice cream or dollops of chilled whipped

Serves 4

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