Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). Lightly oil a deep 20-25cm high-sided ovenproof baking dish or Dutch oven.

For the pudding batter, place the chopped figs in a bowl and pour over 500ml boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the dates to soften. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, caster sugar, tahini, miso, oil and milk until well-combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until smooth and just combined. Drain 375ml of water from the figs into a medium saucepan (you will use this for the sauce) and set aside. Drain any remaining water and discard. Fold the drained chopped figs into the batter and spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the surface with the back of a spoon.

To make the choc-miso sauce, place the saucepan of reserved fig water over high heat and bring to the boil. Once bubbling, remove from the heat and whisk in the brown sugar, cocoa, miso and golden syrup. Carefully pour the hot sauce over the back of a large spoon onto the pudding batter (pouring onto the spoon first avoids splashing or creating holes in your batter).

Place the pudding in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the pudding is golden brown, cooked through and springs back when lightly touched. There should still be a slight jiggle from the sauce underneath. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Serve your pudding warm in bowls, topped with large spoonfuls of plant-based yoghurt or ice cream.