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    Cooking Gorgeous » Pastries & Sweets

    Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding

    Published: Dec 29, 2020 · Modified: Sep 28, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding (aka Sticky Date Pudding) is a classic English dessert consisting of a moist sponge cake made with dried dates and covered with a sticky toffee sauce. It is a warming pudding with loads of flavor and you can easily make it at home. If you have never tried this indulgent English staple, you should definitely give it a go!

     a slice of sticky date pudding served with toffee sauce
    Jump to:
    • What Is Sticky Toffee Pudding?
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • Top Tip From the Chef
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Related Recipes
    • Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding

    This recipe makes the best sticky toffee puddings I have ever tasted, and it is a winner among family and friends. The texture of the sponge is very light and fluffy whilst still feeling very sweet, rich, and flavorful. The toffee sauce is lighter than in usual recipes and it perfectly balances out the sweetness of the rich sponge.

    What Is Sticky Toffee Pudding?

    Sticky Toffee Pudding is a classic British dessert made with dates, treacle, and golden syrup, and served with a toffee sauce. This delicious dessert is also known as Sticky Date Pudding in Australia and New Zealand.

    Same as Russian Honey Cake - Medovik, Easy Apple Crumb Cake, Classic Italian Tiramisu, and Baklava Cheesecake, this sticky toffee pudding is definitely a treat! Thus, it is perfect for the festive season and other special occasions.

    The texture of the sponge of sticky toffee pudding should be lighter and fluffier than a usual sponge. Perfection when it is served with the indulgently warm toffee sauce.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • It is a very easy recipe to follow with step-by-step instructions and pictures.
    • This delicious and easy sticky date pudding recipe makes a generous 20 servings, an absolute crowd-pleaser.
    • The leftovers would keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 6 months.
    • It is a perfect recipe for the festive season or any special occasion.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    The Cake

    Labelled picture of ingredients for sticky date pudding
    • Dates - I use the soft dates and pit them before boiling with water but you can use pitted ones to make things quicker and easier. You don't need to chop them as they will be blitzed after soaking.
    • Unsalted Butter - Use good quality butter softened at room temperature.
    • Eggs - Make sure you bring your eggs to room temperature before using them for a smooth batter that rises easily. I store my eggs at room temperature as I use them a lot in my cooking and the turnover is very quick.
    • Self-raising flour - You can use plain/all-purpose flour with the addition of 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
    • Dark Brown Sugar - The color is coming from the molasses added to caster sugar. You can use light brown sugar or caster sugar and add extra treacle to your cake mixture.
    • Golden Syrup - "Golden syrup or light treacle is a thick, amber-colored form of inverted sugar syrup made by the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts" says Wikipedia. You can substitute it with corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup.
    • Treacle - It is a dark, sticky syrup made with a mixture of cane molasses and syrup. It's a key ingredient in sticky toffee pudding. Although I wouldn't recommend replacing it with anything else, you can use grape molasses or golden syrup.
    • Vanilla - It is a great flavoring to use in baking. I use vanilla bean paste or extract but vanilla bean works even better if you have it in hand.

    Toffee Sauce

    Labelled picture of ingredients for sticky toffee pudding
    • Dark Brown Sugar
    • Treacle
    • Golden Syrup
    • Unsalted butter
    • Double Cream - It is also known as heavy cream. You can also use whipping cream for making the toffee sauce.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    It is very easy to make this rich and delightful homemade Sticky Toffee Pudding and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:

    Purée The Dates

    Place the pitted dates, water, and vanilla in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Then add the bicarbonate of soda to the mixture.

    Be careful as it will fizz up. Take the mixture off the heat. Turn the mixture into a purée with a hand blender. Set aside to cool down for 15 minutes.

    dates are cooked and blitzed into a Purée

    Make The Sticky Toffee Cake

    Preheat the oven to 160° C - 320° F (fan oven). Grease a 25cm x 40cm (10" x 16") baking tin and then set it aside. Whisk butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

    gradually adding the eggs, treacle and golden syrup

    Slowly add the treacle, golden syrup, and eggs one at a time to the mixture.

    the eggs are added to sticky toffee mixture

    Add the dates, mix well, and then add the flour to the mixture. Gently fold the flour into the mixture using a spatula. Pour the mixture into the baking tin.

    the flour is gently folded to the wet ingredients

    Bake it for 40 to 45 minutes or until the sponge is completely cooked. To understand if the sponge is cooked, insert a toothpick at the center of the sponge. If it comes out clean, then it is ready. 

    the sponge is baked for 45 minutes

    Take the sponge out of the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it up to 20 square slices.

    Prepare the sticky toffee sauce while the sponge is cooling down. Place all ingredients into a saucepan and slowly heat them until all ingredients melt and mix completely.

    the ingredients for the sauce are placed in a pan

    Then bring it to a boil and keep it on the heat for another 2 minutes.

    the sauce is gently simmered for 2 minutes

    Serve a slice of sponge with warm toffee sauce. You can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The sauce should be used immediately after it is prepared. If you want to keep the remaining sauce for later, you should heat it before serving it with the sponge.

    Sticky Toffee Pudding

    Top Tip From the Chef

    This Sticky Date Pudding recipe makes a generous 20 servings. If you don't need this much of a portion, then you can make half of the recipe.

    If you want to make half of the recipe, it is essential you accurately divide each ingredient, especially for the sponge. Ingredient measurements are essential to achieve optimum results.

    Another option is that you can safely store the remaining sponges in the freezer for up to 6 months. This is what we usually do if there are any leftovers as it is extremely practical to take them out of the freezer when you have some guests over, or simply whenever you crave them! Just prepare the toffee sauce and you are good to go.

    Recipe FAQs

    How to reheat Sticky Toffee Pudding?

    Cover the sponge with tin foil and reheat it in a preheated oven to 160° C - 320° F (fan oven) for 15 minutes.
    Or you can stick it to the microwave and reheat it for a minute on medium heat.
    Reheat the sticky toffee sauce separately in a pan on low heat or in the microwave for 30 seconds before pouring it on the sponge.

    How long to keep Sticky Date Pudding?

    This indulgent pudding would keep for up to 3 days refrigerated. This recipe makes a generous 20 servings so you might want to store the remaining sponges in the freezer for up to 6 months. It is extremely practical to take them out of the freezer when you have some guests over, or simply whenever you crave them!

    How to serve Sticky Toffee Pudding?

    The best way to enjoy this warming and gorgeous pudding is to serve it with homemade Sticky Toffee Sauce and Ice Cream! You can also serve it with double cream, clotted cream, or even some custard.

    Related Recipes

    For more traditional British recipes why not try:

    • Mushroom And Leek Pie
    • Baked Cheesy Cauliflower
    • Apple and Blueberry Crumble
    • Wild Garlic Soup

    I hope you enjoy the process of making this delightful Sticky Toffee Pudding as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

    sticky toffee pudding

    Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding

    Ayla Clulee
    This Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding (aka Sticky Date Pudding) is a classic English dessert consisting of a moist sponge cake made with dried dates and covered with a sticky toffee sauce. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine british, English
    Servings 20 servings
    Calories 389 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 kitchen scale
    • 1 measuring spoons
    • 1 Cuisinart mixer
    • 1 Saucepan
    • 1 Hand blender

    Ingredients
     
     

    Sponge

    • 110 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
    • 4 eggs (at room temperature)
    • 340 g soft dark brown sugar
    • 50 g golden syrup
    • 110 g treacle
    • 400 g self raising flour (or plain flour + 1 teaspoon of baking powder)
    • 400 g dried dates (pitted)
    • 580 ml water
    • 2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
    • 25 ml vanilla essence

    Toffee Sauce

    • 50 g unsalted butter
    • 35 g soft dark brown sugar
    • 20 g golden syrup
    • 15 g treacle
    • 500 ml double cream

    Instructions
     

    Sponge

    • Place the pitted dates, water, and vanilla in a saucepan and bring them to a boil.
    • Then add the bicarbonate of soda to the mixture. Be careful as it will fizz up. Take the mixture off the heat.
    • Turn the mixture into a purée with a hand blender. Set aside to cool down for 15 minutes.
    • Preheat the oven to 160°C - 320° F (fan oven). Grease a 25 cm x 40 cm (10" x 16") baking tin and set it aside.
    • Whisk butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
    • Slowly add the treacle, golden syrup, and eggs one at a time to the mixture.
    • Add the dates and mix wells and then add the flour to the mixture and gently fold together.
    • Pour the mixture into the baking tin and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes or until the sponge is completely cooked. To understand if the sponge is cooked, insert a toothpick at the center of the sponge. If it comes out clean, then the sponge is ready.
    • Take the sponge out of the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it up to 20 square slices.

    Toffee Sauce

    • Place all ingredients into a saucepan and slowly heat them until all ingredients melt and mix completely. Then bring it to a boil and keep on the heat for another 2 minutes.
    • Serve a slice of sponge with warm toffee sauce. You can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
    • The sauce should be used immediately after it is prepared. If you want to keep the remaining sauce for later, you should heat it before serving it with the sponge.

    Notes

    • This Sticky Date Pudding recipe makes a generous 20 servings. If you don't need this much of a portion, then you can make half of the recipe.
    • If you want to make half of the recipe, it is essential you accurately divide each ingredient, especially for the sponge. Ingredient measurements are essential to achieve optimum results.
    • This indulgent pudding would keep for up to 3 days refrigerated.
    • To understand if the sponge is cooked, insert a toothpick at the center of the sponge. If it comes out clean, then it is ready. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 389kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 142mgPotassium: 302mgFiber: 2gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 617IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ayla

      August 03, 2021 at 3:31 pm

      5 stars
      This pudding is amazingly rich and flavorful. I’ve already made it twice and everyone in my house loved it!

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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