Sticky toffee pudding it a British dessert consisting of a date sponge cake topped with a toffee sauce! You really can’t go wrong taking an already moist and tender cake and smothering it is a toffee sauce and optionally topping it with vanilla ice cream or even custard! The interesting thing about the English sticky toffee pudding is the fact that one of the main ingredients of the cake is dates, that are chopped, soaked until tender and then pureed. The pureed dates help keep the cake super moist and add a ton of flavour along with sweetness. I am a huge fan of caramel sauces but the toffee sauce here gives it a run for it’s money! Compared to a caramel sauce this toffee sauce is so easy to make, you simply simmer cream, butter, brown sugar, syrup and molasses until everything melts and thickens a bit with no worrying about burning the caramel! The use of the brown sugar and the addition of the molasses gives the toffee sauce a ton of flavour that is simply magical and it goes so well with the date sponge cake. This sticky toffee pudding is the perfect dessert to impress and especially fitting for a holiday treat!
Sticky Toffee Pudding
A traditional, easy to make, English sticky toffee pudding with a sponge date cake topped with a homemade toffee sauce! Yum!
ingredients
- 8 ounces dried dates, pitted and chopped
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (or corn syrup)
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (or corn syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
For the date pudding:
For the toffee sauce:
directions
- Soak the dates in the just boiled water along with the baking soda for 15 minutes before pureeing in a food processor (along with the soaking water).
- Mix the pureed dates, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, molasses and golden syrup.
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt before mixing into the wet ingredients.
- Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes for a muffin pan,to about 30-40 minutes for a cake pan.
- Enjoy while still warm from the oven topped with the toffee sauce!
- Heat everything in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until smooth and the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes.
For the date pudding:
For the toffee sauce:
Tip: Make the toffee sauce a day ahead and simply warm it before using.
Do you drain the dates before pureeing? Dark or light corn syrup?
Do not drain the dates, puree the in the soaking liquid and dark corn syrup. Enjoy!
Help. I can’t get molasses or golden syrup here. Please advise. I have date syrup I think. I need your help please.
I wonder if you could use honey for the golden syrup. I would assume it is for sweetening.
Honey would also work!
I have not used date syrup (and should work) otherwise something like honey or dark corn syrup can be used in place of the molasses and golden syrup. Enjoy!
I note that you made these in a muffin tin – was it a large muffin tin and did you grease them and how many did it make?
For these ones I used a large muffin tin and it was greased. 6 ramekins are also perfect! A loaf pan or a circular cake pan are also nice!
These sound like the perfect dessert to make for my grandpa to accompany his Christmas bourbon. I seem to recall a recipe you had for sticky toffee pudding cake, but I can’t find it.
These were so good! Made them for Christmas dessert yesterday and everyone loved them. I used gluten free flour. The only change I made was adding a bit of spiced rum to the toffee sauce 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely make again.
I just made these and they are AMAZING. w
Wondering if you have any storage tips to keep them fresh and moist?
Thanks so much!!
Any tips for making ahead of time and reheating later?
This is delicious!! Made as directed and it came out perfect! I love the toffee sauce, the molasses just sends it over the top! I did make it in a large muffin pan. Don’t over bake. I set it for 15min. And they were still wet inside. Set for another 4 mins. And almost over baked. Be careful! All Kevin’s recipes are the best!!
In step 3 of this recipe, baking powder appears twice but only once in the recipe. Most likely a typing error.
Delicious recipe though. Thanks.
Thanks + Fixed! I’m glad you like it!
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze them before you put the toffee sauce on?
That works!
This is the best recipe for toffee I’ve ever seen.