If you love the heavenly taste of toffee, then this Sticky Toffee Pudding is going to be your new favorite dessert! It’s more cake than a custard & drizzled with a delectable toffee sauce. It’s absolutely incredible!
History of Sticky Toffee Pudding:
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a British dessert- a sponge cake covered in a sticky toffee sauce. Sometimes the cake is sweetened with dates, as in this version. Origins of Sticky Toffee Pudding date back to the 1970’s. The recipe was developed and shared with a couple of hotels. Word spread, and it became a popular dessert shared across England!
Oh my word, do I love a rich and sinful dessert this time of year. When I was a kid my whole focus during December was on the treats. I wanted them more than the gifts. Honestly, once someone tried to give me a gift at church when I was about 6 or 7 and I actually turned it down for a treat instead. Yes, I do love goodies that much.
With all the recipes my family would make during the month, they never really ventured into the cake like puddings. I didn’t have the pleasure of trying some until much later in life and finally realized what I had been missing all those years.
I know there are many varieties of English pudding out there and they are all delicious. But my very favorite is toffee. It’s absolutely over the top for me. It’s sort of like caramel but with deeper notes that just make me smile with every bite. I just love that this recipe is made using dates, so I sort of feel that helps in offsetting the sinfulness of the sauce.
I was sure happy that there was just a bit of sauce left over. It made a great addition to the top of the ice cream we paired on the side of this when it was time for dessert. The whole family was raving and they are already asking when I will make it again. I’d say that’s a hit.
If you are a toffee lover, this Sticky Toffee Pudding is definitely going to wow your world!
Here are a few more pudding recipes you might like to try:
- Blackberry Lemon Pudding Cake
- Cinnamon Caramel Bread Pudding
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
- Indian Pudding
- Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Irish Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey Sauce
- Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
PUDDING/CAKE:
- 1¼ cups roughly chopped pitted dates
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
TOFFEE SAUCE:
- 1/2 cup half and half cream
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
PREPARE THE PUDDING/CAKE:
- Place the pitted dates in a food processor and pulse until they resemble large crumbs and no large chunks remain. Place the processed dates in a small bowl, sprinkle with baking soda and set aside. Add the boiling water to the dates and stir.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and eggs; beat until just combined. Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and date mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 40 to 50 minutes or until the center springs back when pressed slightly. Remove and cool on wire rack at least 10 minutes before removing from pan and serving.
PREPARE THE TOFFEE SAUCE:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring often until slightly thickened. Allow to cool approximately 10 minutes before drizzling over the toffee pudding and serving.
Notes
- When preparing your dates, roughly chop then measure out before pulsing in your food processor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Was wondering after pulsing dates how much measured do you end up with?
I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea!
I have always wanted to make this, but I don’t like dates. Is there any substitution?
You could try with dried apricots!
Hi. Unsalted or salted butter?
I like to use salted butter for baking.
Being a small group this year at Christmas due to COVID restrictions my daughter decided to try this dessert instead of Christmas pudding. Oh my, oh my was it a hit. New favorite dessert and I don’t like a lot of sweets. She used the bar of pitted dates (available in B.C.) and they pulsed just fine in the food processor. As well, she used all whipping cream instead of 1/2 n 1/2 which made for a very creamy sauce. New Christmas dessert tradition has begun.
can you leave the dates just chopped
I’m not sure that will work out the same… the dates become kind of “paste-like” and contribute to the texture of the sticky toffee pudding.
I need advice as I want to bake this to bring for treats to my Dr office. I bake each month and with Covid I am extremely carful to individually wrap each dessert which is about 40. Has anyone made individuals possibly in pot pie alum. containers or muffin pans. I try to make desserts self contained and not interrupt their office usually delivering warm or cold as required.
I have not tried this myself, but I think it could work!
Have you ever made the batter ahead of time? I have a tight schedule and I’m trying to see if I can prep ahead of time.
I haven’t!
Just made this and its fantastic! Thanks for the recipe and sharing your beautiful pics.
I have made this recipe quite a few times and it always turns out perfect however I do tweak it a bit I add cinnamon and ground cloves to the cake gives an amazing flavor as well as I will use regular dates when I have them in the house there is absolutely no change in the taste or the texture of the cake when I do so and for the toffee sauce I use 35%whipping cream as this gives a thick consistency to the toffee sauce also I double the toffee sauce recipe as I poke holes all through the cake when it is done and I pour half the toffee sauce over the cake and let it seep in and I save the remaining sauce for later on used to heat up and a pour-over the cake. My family absolutely loves it!
For sauce it says 1/2 cup half and half, what does that mean?
Half and half is half cream/half milk.
Can i use the baking dates? I got this package of baking dates and its already mashed and it comes in a bar shape. If I can, will i follow the same procedure after pulsing in food processor?
Thanks.
I haven’t seen that product, so I’m not sure!