Cape brandy pudding (or tipsy tart) revisited

[As I am currently on holiday, this is an edited re-posting of one of the first traditional South African desserts that I ever posted on this blog.  There will be no Sundays in South Africa until 11 April.]

It's a fact - South Africans do like their brandy.  Not so much the sort that is meticulously aged and then consumed in tiny sips from beautiful blown-glass balloons.  No, we seem to have more of a taste for the cheaper stuff (our consumption of Klipdrift is legendary...), preferably mixed with Coca-cola.  In fact, I rememebr my father and mother, who were sophisticated in their tastes in practically every other way, drinking a brandy and Coke before dinner every single Saturday night that I lived at home.

Clearly it's in the genes ;-)

This is a classic South African pudding, confusingly known by at least three names:  dadelpoeding (its Afrikaans name meanind date pudding), Cape brandy pudding, and tipsy tart.  The last one is a misnomer in that it's not a tart at all.... but it will definitely make you tipsy if you overindulge in the syrup!

Even friends who profess to dislike fruit puddings lick their bowls clean, and it makes a great altrenative to Christmas pudding.  I should know - that's what I served this year! 

CAPE BRANDY PUDDING / TIPSY TART (serves 6)

Ingredients:

250g dates, roughly chopped
250 ml water
5ml bicarbonate of soda
100g butter, softened
200ml caster sugar
1 egg
250ml plain flour
5ml baking powder
100g pecan nuts, chopped
FOR THE SYRUP:
250ml sugar
120ml water
120ml brandy
5ml vanilla essence
30ml butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease an oven-proof dish.

Combine the dates with the water in a small pot and bring to the boil.  Remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda.

Cream together the butter, sugar and egg.  Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mix together with the cooled dates and mix well.

Mix in the nuts and pour into the greased dish.  Bake for about an hour or until a skewer comes out clean

For the syrup, boil the sugar, water, butter and vanilla essence together for about 10 minutes.  Add the brandy and cinnamon and mix well. 

Serve the pudding with the syrup poured over it and top with some whipped cream (or custard if preferred).

This post is part of a new series for 2010 called Sundays in South Africa.  As the entire football-conscious world knows by now, the FIFA World Cup 2010 will be taking place for the first time ever on African soil - in my home country of South Africa!  I can't tell you how proud this makes me, or how good it is to see that all the stadiums that the naysayers said would never be built on time standing tall and proud and beautiful.  The country is, of course, anticipating a huge surge in visitors and I know that many people will see the cup as a reason to visit a country they have long been meaning to visit, and use the tournament as a jumping-off point for visiting other, non-football South African destinations. With this in mind, as well as my backlog of posts about my South African trips, I will be trying to post a review of somewhere South African, or a South African recipe, every Sunday in the run-up to the tournament.  I can't pretend it is going to be a comprehensive guide to South Africa - but it will certainly be enough to give you some ideas!  Click here for previous posts in the series.

Comments

[Jamie]

Oooh I like the name Tipsy Tart! And luscious this pudding does indeed look! Yum! Personally I have the anti-alcohol genes but give it to me in a dessert that looks this delicious and I, too, may just lick the bowl clean!

[Maninas]

I love the name of this pudding! ;)

Enjoy your trip!

[Wizzythestick]

This pudding looks divine.

[Myfrenchkitchen]

Delicious Jeeanne! I had an aunt who made the most incredible tipsy tart...I never stopped at only one piece/slice(she baked it in a long pyrex tart pan and cut it into squares) along with peppermint crisp tart, it was my favorite. I could eat till I drop...mind you perhaps it was the tipsy tart that made me drop..
Now you just have to post a peppermint crisp tart too..
Ronell

[Thea Thomas (Griet`s World)]

Dear Jeanne.
Thank you so much for your informative talk(s) on Saturday. Although I am not a "foodie" I learned alot.

[Sarah, Maison Cupcake]

I love fruity puddings, cakes and Christmas pudding so I bet I'd really like this. Hope you are having great time whilst you are away.

[nina]

This is a favorite my mom makes whenever we go and visit. Thank you for re-posting and make me pick up the phone to say "Hello ma!"

[bigjobsboard]

Wow. That's the most elegant thing I've ever seen in a plate! LOL Thanks a lot! This just made me hungry again! I just had my lunch! LOL

[Rosemary]

While I don't share my compatriots love for Klippies and Coke, I love this pudding.

[Marisa]

Ooooh yay - thanks for the recipe Jeanne. Never knew it contained dates! Always just called it "tipsy tert" at home. I have a feeling this is going to feature prominently in the next few months...

[tasteofbeirut]

I can see why your fellow countrymen love it! dates and a splash of brandy? sure! I want some!

[Manggy]

I hope you're having a great time Jeanne! I love a good, deeply flavored pud - and dates are just the proverbial icing on this cake!

[Mowie @ Mowielicious]

Cute name! Loving the ingredients, with the dates and the nuts and the vanilla - yummy!

[Rebecca Lynn]

This pudding looks phenomenal. I can't wait to make it. You made my Top Nine of the week this week. I love your blog!!

[courtney]

The famous pudding. you have tuned me onto to baking with brandy. Love it!

[Bordeaux]

I still have not tried making brandy pudding. Maybe we'll try making it for the in-laws while here in the States!

[Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet]

Oh, so Cape Brandy Tart and Tipsy Tart is the same thing? Geez, so much for me being a South African! I do love both though! :-D And yes, I hate Christmas pudding but give me this dessert any day!