Sticky toffee pudding (aka STP) 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!
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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 usual recipes and it perfectly balances out the sweetness of the rich sponge. This sticky toffee pudding is definitely a treat! Thus, it is perfect for the festive season and other special occasions.
Why This Recipe Works?
- It is a very easy recipe to follow with step-by-step instructions and pictures.
- This delicious 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
Ingredients for sticky toffee cake
- 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 colour 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-coloured 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 to 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 flavouring to use in baking. I use vanilla bean paste or extract but vanilla bean works even better if you have it in hand.
Ingredients for the sticky toffee sauce
- 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.
- Make the sticky toffee cake - Preheat the oven at 160°C (fan oven). Grease a 25 x 40 cm baking tin and then 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, 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.
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. 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. 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 with the sponge.
Related Recipes
For more traditional British recipes why not try:
Cover the sponge with tin foil and reheat it in a preheated oven to 160 °C (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.
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!
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.
Top Tip From the Chef
This sticky toffee 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.
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 Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
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 at 160°C (fan oven). Grease a 25 x 40 cm 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 with the sponge.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Ayla
Beautiful and delicious