Sticky Toffee Pudding
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
Indulge in this British classic that never fails to impress! My sticky toffee pudding features a beautifully dense sponge cake enriched with luscious dates, all drizzled with a decadent toffee sauce. It’s the perfect dessert to satisfy your sweet cravings.
Indulge in the heavenly delight of sticky toffee pudding, a beloved British dessert that’s sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. This irresistible treat features a luxuriously rich, dense sponge cake that’s smothered in a decadent toffee sauce.
What sets this sponge cake apart from anything you might find in the US is its unique sweetness from a blend of dates and brown sugar. The addition of molasses elevates the batter, creating a deep, complex flavor that’s simply divine.
As for the toffee sauce, it shares a comforting familiarity with caramel but takes it to a whole new level. Crafted with generous amounts of butter, sugar, and cream, this sauce is richer and more indulgent than your typical caramel topping. By using dark brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, the sauce captures that quintessential toffee essence, wrapping the cake in a warm, sticky embrace.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Dates: If you’re using whole dates, you will have to pit them.
- Baking soda
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter: Use unsalted butter that is brought to room temperature.
- Dark brown sugar: Adds to that sweet molasses flavor.
- Molasses
- Egg
- Vanilla
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Make the cakes. Bring dates and water to a boil. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add dates and water to a food processor and add the baking soda. Blend until smooth.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses. Add the egg and vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients, alternating with the date mixture.
- Divide the batter between 8 ramekins, filling each ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake until set.
- Make the toffee syrup. Melt butter in a pot. Add brown sugar and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 6 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
- Remove cakes from ramekins and drizzle with toffee syrup.
Tips For Success
- You can bake the batter in a 9×13 baking pan for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once cooled, slice into pieces and serve with the toffee sauce.
- Only fill the ramekins ⅔ of the way full; otherwise, the batter may overflow in the oven.
- Make the toffee sauce while the cakes are cooling. Once the sauce is done, the cakes should be ready to be removed from the ramekins and served.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 1 ½ cups (226 g) pitted dates
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the toffee sauce
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
Make the cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease eight 6-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the dates and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover the pot with a lid and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the water-date mixture to a food processor or blender that’s vented. Add the baking soda and blend until a smooth paste is formed. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together for 3 to 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Then, mix in the molasses.
- Add the egg, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Mix in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the date mixture. Make sure to start and end with the dry ingredients and only mix in each addition until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the ramekins, filling each ramekin about ⅔ of the way full.
- Place all the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a wire rack while you prepare the toffee sauce.
Make the toffee sauce
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then mix in the brown sugar and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Assembly
- Once the ramekins have cooled enough to handle, level the tops of each cake. Carefully run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the cakes from the ramekins and flip the cakes out of the ramekins.
- Spoon toffee sauce over cake and garnish with chopped walnuts, if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake and sauce can be made up to five days in advance. Warm the cake in the microwave or oven and reheat the sauce on the stove or microwave until warm and pourable.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.