Instructions

1. For poached pears: Trim base of pears and remove the centre using a melon baller or corer. Put all of the remaining ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the pears and cook for 15-20 minutes until soft. Leave the pears to cool in the liquid with a disc of paper covering the top while making the sponge.
2. For the sponge:
3. Heat the oven to 160C fan. Put the dates in a bowl with 300ml just boiled water and soak for a few minutes before blending together to form a puree. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs one by one and mix well to combine.
5. Add the puree to the egg mix, followed by the spices, baking powder and flour. Pour into a greased 2L baking dish and nestle the pears in and around the dish, standing up.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm to the touch.
7. For toffee sauce:
8. Put the butter and sugar into a saucepan with the double cream.
9. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
10. Stir in the black treacle and boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t burn.
11. Pour the warm sauce over the cooked pudding and serve.