Sticky Toffee Pudding

Are you ready for an irresistible dessert? Introducing the lovely Sticky Toffee Pudding, a brown sugar moist sponge cake filled with bits of pitted dates and fluffy pockets of air.

This warm and cozy flavorful sponge cake is soaked in a rich and gooey buttery toffee sauce, and served with vanilla ice cream. It truly is a thing of beauty, and even better, this sticky toffee cake is so easy to make!

Sticky Date Cake with Toffee Sauce

This sticky toffee pudding recipe is a beloved traditional British dessert recipe that can be found in restaurants and pubs all across the United Kingdom.

Sticky toffee pudding is not exactly a pudding but more likea sticky toffee pudding cake, but denser, moister, and richer than most cakes. It is also sometimes known as sticky data cake or sticky toffee cake.

I love eating warm sticky toffee pudding with cold vanilla ice cream – there’s just something so magical and comforting and the combination of warm gooey toffee sauce, moist date cake, and cold creamy vanilla ice cream.

Similar to what we do here in the U.S. with brownies – a warm sticky toffee pudding makes an excellent and delicious vehicle for a nice big scoop of ice cream.

Along with Chocolate Pudding Cake and Italian Ricotta Cheesecake, we love making sticky toffee date cake over the holidays, and especially during the Christmas season. It is decadent, luxurious and always feels like a special occasion treat.

Some sticky toffee pudding recipes are made in the muffin tin or ramekins yielding individual servings, but I like to make mine into a square cake and just slice them into smaller pieces because it’s much easier and quicker.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this sticky toffee pudding recipe:

• dates – we are using dried dates for this recipe. Dates have pits in the middle so make sure you use pitted dates or remove the pits. Dates will be chopped and folded into sweet sponge cake to bring depth in flavor to the cake as whole. Medjool dates or any of your favorite type of dates work.
• baking soda – used to soak dates so that they can be easily pureed later
• boiling water – also used to soak the dates
• all purpose flour – for the making of that delicious data cake.
• baking powder – used as leavening agent to make sticky toffee pudding rise in the oven.
• salt – just a pinch to really open up the flavors in the cake and the toffee sauce.
• unsalted butter – if using salted butter, reduce salt
• dark brown sugar – light brown sugar can be used if that is what you have – the color will be a bit lighter, but this is used in sponge cake itself so I don’t find it to affect the overall taste that much.
• eggs – use large eggs at room temperature for best success.
• vanilla extract – use pure vanilla extract for best flavor. Avoid the imitation versions – they taste fake and are made with fake flavoring! Real, good sticky toffee pudding deserves to be made with the best ingredients! Toffee Sauce (aka toffee caramel sauce or sticky toffee sauce) ingredients:
• unsalted butter
• dark brown sugar – has more molasses than light brown sugar, which brings about rich caramelized flavors to the date cake and toffee sauce. In a pinch, you can use light brown sugar, but I do highly recommend using dark brown sugar if possible for best flavor.
• heavy whipping cream – bringsa rich and creamy taste and texture to the sticky toffee sauce. Avoid substituting with half and half or whole milk.
• vanilla extract – use high quality pure vanilla extract for best flavor.

How to Make Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is basically made up of two parts: the sticky date cake and the toffee (caramel) sauce.

For the cake itself, we are baking it in an 8-inch square cake pan to make a single layer sticky toffee pudding.

If baking for a large crowd, you can bake the sticky date cake in a 9′ x 13′ rectangular pan. Double the recipe below. It will take approximately the same time to bake in the oven.

Preparing Dates

Dates are actually very tasty – it has a rich, caramel-like flavor that is as flavorful and delicious as it is unique. It will add depth and flavor to our sticky toffee pudding, and as an added bonus, if you are into low processed sugar desserts, dates is the way to go.

Place pitted dates, baking soda, and boiling water into a small mixing bowl.

Let the dates soak in boiling water and baking soda for around 10 minutes. Once dates are softened, drain, rinse with with cold water, and use a food processor to make a paste.

Most dates sold in stores are dried (especially in the U.S.), so we rehydrate them before baking with them. If you are using fresh dates, omit the soaking step, and simply use a fork to mash them up.

Making the Date Cake

Now that we have our date mixture ready, let’s make the batter for our data cake.

First, whisk together the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt

Next, in a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer, bring together the wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) to cream butter and brown sugar, and then add eggs, and vanilla extract. At the end, slowly incorporate the mashed dates mixture.

Fold in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix until sticky date cake batter is formed. Scrap down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined properly.

Transfer sticky date cake batter to square cake pan (use a square cake pan that is at least 2.5 inches deep) grease with butter.

Bake sticky toffee pudding in the square baking dish for 30 – 35 minutes. When it’s done, a tooth pick inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean.

When sticky date cake is done. Let it rest for 5 minutes so that it is cool enough for me to touch it, then flip sticky toffee pudding onto a serving plate.

Making Toffee Sauce

Go ahead and make the toffee caramel sauce while waiting for the sticky date cake to bake in the oven.

This toffee sauce is thick, rich, gooey and absolutely scrumptious. It is made with butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt in a pot or medium saucepan…the ultimate guilty pleasure concoction!

Warm up the concoction over medium heat, constantly stirring with a whisk until the sauce is completely dissolved and mixed together.

This sauce will be sticky, gooey and oh-so-delicious! This homemade caramel sauce is so tasty you’ll want to pour it on everything!

Adding Toffee Sauce to Date Cake

Once cake is cooled for a few minutes, use fork to gently poke holes onto it.

Then drizzle half of the sticky toffee sauce all over it and let it ‘set’ for a few minutes. This will allow the sticky date cake to soak up the sauce nicely.

As for the other half of the toffee sauce, save it to serve on the side to pour onto individual slices.

BUT WAIT!

Sticky toffee pudding is never complete without some (or a lot of) vanilla ice cream! Alternatively, you can also top it with a dollop of whipped cream or cool whip.

It is truly one of the most decadent and irresistible dessert. The lovely combination of the warm moist cake with deep caramel flavors and that cold creamy vanilla ice cream is just incredible. It’s right there as some of my all time favorites along with Molten Chocolate Lava Cake and Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Storage and Reheating

Sticky toffee pudding should be stored in a airtight container in the refrigerator up to 7 days. If possible, store toffee sauce separately.

To reheat, bring sticky toffee pudding into the oven or microwave, warm it until the middle is completely heated, then drizzle sticky toffee sauce on top.

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More Dessert Recipes

• Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
• Fried Apples (Caramelized Apples)
• Gooey Butter Cookies
• Peach Upside Down Cake
• Cheesecake Brownies