This Tipsy Tart of Cape Brandy Tart is a traditional South African pudding that is flavored with dates and drenched in a brandy sauce.
This is a great alternative to a Christmas pudding. It is quick and easy to make, and the sauce is boozy - which is always a win over the Holiday season.
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A Tipsy Tart is not a tart...it's more of a warm pudding
A tipsy tart is not a tart in the traditional sense of the term. There is no pastry within this dessert. It is similar to a Malva Pudding in that it consists of a sponge base which is then smothered in a sauce while still warm. The main difference is that this tart or pudding is flavored with dates and can contain nuts.
This is a great South African pudding/tart that is also known as a Cape Brandy Pudding or Cape Brandy Tart, dadelpoeding, or tipsietert.
This dessert is really great to warm, and it can be served with cream, whipped cream, custard, or ice cream.
Ingredients
Here are some notes on the ingredients. Refer to the recipe card for details.
Tart/Pudding Sponge
Plain flour (all-purpose flour/standard grade flour) refers to flour that has a protein content of approximately 9.5-12%. For cakes, this can be replaced with cake flour. If measuring ingredients by cups, make sure to aerate the flour and then scoop it into the measuring cup using a spoon before leveling it off. Scooping directly out of the flour container will result in too much flour being added to the mixture.
Plain flour can be substituted with self-raising flour, leaving out the baking powder.
White sugar (granulated or caster sugar) adds sweetness without really impacting additional flavors in baked goods. Sugar doesn't only add sweetness, it adds moisture, slows down gluten formation, enhances other flavors, and can act as a leavening agent.
Butter adds flavor, softness, and moisture and sometimes aids in the leavening of baked goods. I use New Zealand butter in my recipes, which has approximately 82% butterfat and can be very yellow (similar to European or Irish butter). Butter cannot be substituted with butter or margarine spreads, but it can be substituted with baking margarine.
Baking powder gives a lift to this brandy pudding but can be left out if you are using self-raising flour.
Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda or bread soda is used to neutralize the acidic tannins in the dates. This combined with the boiling water also releases some of the flavor in the dates. And acts as the main "wet" ingredient in this recipe.
Dates give this recipe it's signature flavor. Use any dates you want. Just make sure they are pitted and sliced.
Make sure your baking powder is fresh (especially if you haven't bought some in a while) by placing a ½ teaspoon into a cup or bowl. Pour about a ¼ cup of boiling water over the baking powder. If it foams and bubbles it is still fresh.
Eggs - I use a New Zealand size 6 egg, which is around the same size as Australian and South African Large Eggs, but closer to a US/Europe Medium sized egg.
Brandy Sauce Ingredients
Brown sugar (light or dark) adds a caramel flavor to the brandy sauce. However, it can be substituted with white granulated sugar if needed.
Brandy gives this sauce it's delicious boozy taste. Brandy is a very much-loved liquor in South Africa. It is made from distilled wine. What makes South African brandy so good is that it is made in the same manner as French cognac. And considering our history, this makes sense. However, I also find that plain dark rum works really well as a substitute.
Butter and vanilla add a bit of extra flavor to the brandy.
Weighing and Measuring Ingredients
Weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale is more accurate than using measuring cups. All my recipes are developed and tested using grams only.
However, I have activated the metric-to-cup conversions. Simply click on "USA/Cups" or "metric" for your preferred measurements. For these conversions, cups are equal to 240mL/8 fl oz, tablespoons are 15mL and teaspoons are 5mL.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F. Grease a large glass or ceramic ovenproof dish (I used a 9-inch or 23cm square or round baking dish, it should hold about 1.5 liters or ½ a quart).
Step 2 - Place the cup of chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates. Pour the half cup boiling water over the dates, and allow the dates to soak in the boiling water until cool. This will take between 5 and 15 minutes.
Step 3 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together until light and fluffy.
Step 4 - Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the butter mixture. Then pour the date mixture into the large bowl, and mix together until combined.
Step 5 - If adding in nuts, stir them through the brandy tart batter.
Step 6 - Pour the tipsy tart sponge into your baking dish. Bake the tipsy tart for 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Poke the tart all over with the toothpick or cake tester.
Step 7 - In the last 5 or so minutes the tart sponge is baking, dissolve the brown sugar in the water on low heat.
Step 8 - Bring the sugar-water mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 9 - Add in the vanilla, butter, and brandy. Pour the syrup over the tart straight out of the oven. Allow the tart to cool a bit before serving.
Step 10 - Serve the pudding warm or cool with custard, cream, or ice cream.
Expert Tips for this Recipe
Make sure the oven is fully preheated and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. All ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.
Make the syrup in the last few minutes of the bake. This syrup must be poured over the tart while it is still warm. The syrup is absorbed completely into the pudding, at first, it may seem like it is too much but trust the process.
This pudding can be made the morning of, or the day before an event, complete from beginning to end, including adding the syrup.
Ovens and Air-Fryers
The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.
For baking, make sure the oven is fully preheated, and that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Open the oven as little as possible. For best baking results use an oven thermometer.
Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.
Storage and Freezing
Store this pudding covered in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. I recommend reheating the pudding in the microwave before serving.
This pudding can be frozen for up to 2 months. Make sure the pudding is sealed in an airtight container. Allow it to defrost in the fridge overnight before serving. Heat in the oven or the microwave before serving.
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