Tipsy Tart (Cape Brandy Tart or Pudding)

Tipsy Tart or Cape Brandy Tart (or dadelpoeding in Afrikaans) is a traditional South African pudding (dessert) that is a great alternative to a Christmas pudding.

Why? It’s pretty quick and easy to make…and the sauce is boozy which is always a win.

A Tipsy Tart is not a tart…but it doesn’t really matter

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 flavoured with dates and can contain nuts.

What You Need for this Recipe

Equipment

This tart doesn't require any fancy equipment, a 20cm baking dish, a small saucepan, and a small heatproof bowl.

Ingredients

Tipsy Tart Sponge

• Flour - plain, all-purpose, standard grade or cake flour in South Africa
• Vanilla extract
• Butter
• Baking Soda & Boiling Water - are added to the dates to neutralize the acidic tannins found naturally within the dates. This also releases flavour into the boiling water, which is then used as the major “wet” ingredient in the pudding.
• Baking Powder to give the pudding some rise during baking.
• Dates - are the backbone of this recipe, giving flavour, richness and some sweetness.
• Caster Sugar for sweetness.
• Eggs bind everything together.

Tipsy Tart Syrup

• Brown Sugar adds a rich sweetness to the syrup.
• Water
• Vanilla
• Brandy gives the syrup a little kick and adds a delightful flavour.
• Butter

Refer to the recipe card for details.

Substitutions/Variations

Salt is a crucial ingredient in all baked goods. I use table salt in all my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt equals 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt equals 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.

Brandy or Rum…the choice is yours

This may be a very inflammatory statement and my Ancestors would probably scold me for saying this, but I’ve used rum (just plain dark rum, none of the spiced stuff) when I haven’t had brandy on hand. It works out just fine. Trust me.

Brandy is a very much-loved liquor in South Africa. It is made from distilling 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.

Because of the way South African brandy is made it is amongst the best in the world.

Making Tipsy Tart

Grease and prepare 20 cm (8 inches) tart pans. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan while preparing the tart sponge.

Place the chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates and cover them with boiling water. Allow the dates to soak until cool (about 5 minutes).

Beat the butter, sugar and egg together until light and fluffy. Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and date mixture to the butter mixture and fold through until combined. Stir through the chopped nuts.

Pour the tipsy tart sponge into your baking dishes. And bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Poke the tart all over with the toothpick or cake tester.

In the last 5 or so minutes the tart sponge is baking, dissolve the brown sugar in the water on low heat. Bring the sugar-water mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add in the vanilla, butter and brandy. Pour the syrup over the warm tart and allow to cool a bit before serving.

View the web story here!

Pro Tips for this Recipe

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.

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.

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating! It gives my readers and me helpful feedback. If you want more recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Pin for Later

📖 Recipe

Tipsy Tart (Cape Brandy Tart)

Mary-Lou Watkins

Tipsy tart or Cape Brandy Tart is a rich dessert made from dates and smothered in a brandy sauce. Perfect for a little holiday buzz!

4.53 from 17 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine South African

Servings 8 servings

Calories 357 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUSA/Cups

 

½x1x1.5x2x3x

Tipsy Tart Sponge

• 125 grams dates (pitted and chopped)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb/bread soda)
• 125 grams boiling water
• 60 grams butter
• 110 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
• 2 eggs medium - large
• 150 grams plain flour (all-purpose/standard grade)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional

Tipsy Tart Syrup

• 110 grams light brown sugar
• 15 grams butter
• 180 grams water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ - ½ cup brandy or rum

Instructions

Tipsy Tart Sponge

• Grease and prepare 20 cm (8 inches) tart pans.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/355F/Gas Mark 4 while preparing the tart sponge.
• Place the chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates and cover it with boiling water. Allow the dates to soak until cool (about 5 minutes).
  125 grams dates, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 125 grams boiling water
• Beat the butter, sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy.
  60 grams butter, 110 grams white granulated sugar, 2 eggs
• Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients.
  150 grams plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
• Add the dry ingredients and date mixture to the butter mixture and fold through until combined.
• Stir through the chopped nuts.
  ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Pour the tipsy tart sponge into your baking dishes. And bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Poke the tart all over with the toothpick or cake tester.

Tipsy Tart Syrup

• In the last 5 or so minutes the tart sponge is baking, dissolve the brown sugar in the water on low heat.
  110 grams light brown sugar, 180 grams water
• Bring the sugar-water mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat
• Add in the vanilla, butter and brandy. Pour over the syrup over the warm tart and allow to cool a bit before serving.
  15 grams butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ - ½ cup brandy, 1 teaspoon salt
• Serve tart warm or cool with custard, cream or ice cream.

Notes

I have increased the amount of water in the sauce, simply to make more syrup for the pudding since the first time I published this recipe.

For fan-forced or fan-assisted ovens decrease the temperature by 20°C/25F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portionCalories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 738mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37g

Keyword dadelpoeding, pudding, tipsy tart

Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs,I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!