Rich, moist, fluffy sponge drenched in a lusciously rich toffee sauce. This Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe is pure indulgence in every bite and one of my absolute favourite desserts of all time. I’m going to cover exactly how to make this classic British dessert including the couple of KEY ingredients that make it sooo good!
There’s no way you’re leaving the table without having two servings of this ultimate dessert.
If you go to any English restaurant, you’re more than likely to see at least one of the following traditional desserts on the menu:
- Apple pie and custard/cream
- Chocolate fudge cake and ice cream
- Sticky toffee pudding and custard
- Eton Mess
It probably sounds like I’m complaining at the lack of variety or imagination, but I’m not!
I’d gladly eat any one of those gorgeous desserts, and I’m pretty sure I’d still choose one of them even if there was a huge dessert menu with lots of choice.
Sticky toffee pudding is definitely the one I go for most often. Sometimes it arrives looking all posh – sliced into a thin sliver, topped with a little wedge of some kind of brittle, and served with a perfect quenelle of ice cream.
That’s all very nice, but I much prefer it when it’s clearly been baked in a big batch, scooped up with a serving spoon, plonked in a bowl and almost drowned in custard. You know, the old-fashioned way, like our grandparents served it.
It’s actually really easy to make at home, and making it at home, means you can make enough to serve everybody seconds. Of course everybody has seconds when it comes to sticky toffee pud!
It’s a lovely, light sponge, with loads of flavour, and that sticky toffee sauce is so moreish!!
📋Ingredients for Sticky Toffee Pudding
For the sponge cake part:
I use Medjool dates, but any juicy dates will be fine. Just remember to remove the stone before you chop them.
If you can’t find dates or don’t like them, you can swap the dates for raisins, just make sure you get nice juicy ones.
For the sticky toffee sauce:
Note about the treacle
This is a dark, sweet, sticky syrup with flavours or molasses. It’s a key ingredient to sticky toffee pudding, so I wouldn’t recommend replacing it with anything else if you want that iconic flavour.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Remove the stones fromt he dates then finely chop them, up.
- Soak the dates in water for 10 minutes.
- Beat together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and treacle, then stir in flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and milk.
- Mush up the dates that are soaking in the water, then add to the cake mixture (including any liquid in the bowl). Stir together.
- Spoon the sponge batter into a lightly buttered baking dish (tin) and place in the oven for 25-35. minutes, until the sponge is cooked through.
- Make the toffee sauce by heating sugar, butter and cream in a pan, until combined. Then bring to the boil, turn off the heat, and stir in treacle and more cream.
- Remove the cake from the oven and pour over half of the toffee sauce. Serve with the remaining sauce.
👩🍳 Pro Tip
Add 1/2 tsp salt to the toffee sauce for a Sticky Salted Toffee Pudding 😋
This sticky toffee pudding tastes just as good warmed up in the microwave (in portions) – so it’s a great make-ahead dessert.
🍽️ What to serve it with
I love mine with custard, Chris loves his with ice cream, and the kids will have both if I let them!!
What would you serve yours with?
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? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make the whole dessert ahead, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days.
You can store the remaining sauce, covered, in the fridge too.
Reheat in portions, uncovered, in the microwave, until piping hot. It should take about 30-45 seconds per piece.
Reheat the remaining sauce in a pan, until piping hot.
Yes, this dessert freezes well.
Once cooled, place in the freezer, covered, in individual portions, Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as per the instructions above.
The sauce can also be covered and frozen, then defrosted and reheated in a pan until piping hot.
I’ve read and heard that it’s been called sticky date pudding because of the dates that go into the sponge but it’s generally known as sticky toffee pudding. which is not the same as treacle sponge or figgy pudding, those are entirely different desserts.
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Prepare your baking dish by lightly buttering it. I use a 12-inch x 7-inch dish (2.5 inches deep), but a 9-inch square dish will also work.
Add the dates and water to a bowl. Leave to soak for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use a fork to squish the dates (don’t drain).
150 g (approx 2/3 cup) Medjool dates, 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) boiling water
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F (fan).
Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, then mix in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla extract and treacle.
90 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, 120 g (2/3 cup) soft brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp black treacle
Add half the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and half the milk. Stir gently to combine, then add in the remaining flour and milk. Stir again until just combined.
190 g (1.5 cups + 1 tbsp) plain flour (all purpose flour), 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 pinch salt, 120 ml (1/2 cup) full-fat milk
Add the mushed-up date mixture (including the liquid). Stir, then spoon into the prepared baking dish.
Cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes until firm on top.
About 10 minutes before the cake is ready, make the toffee sauce. Place the sugar and butter in a medium saucepan with half the cream.
175 g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) light muscovado sugar, 60 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, 240 ml (1 cup) double (heavy) cream
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble for 2-3 mins until it turns to a light-brown toffee colour. Stir it occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.
1 tbsp black treacle
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rest of the cream. Put to one side.
Take the sponge out of the oven and pour half of the toffee sauce over the sponge.
Serve with the remaining toffee sauce.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, you can make the whole dessert ahead, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days.You can store the remaining sauce, covered, in the fridge too. Reheat in portions, uncovered, in the microwave, until piping hot. It should take about 30-45 seconds per piece. Reheat the remaining sauce in a pan, until piping hot.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, this dessert freezes well. Freeze, covered, in individual portions, Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as per the instructions above. The sauce can also be covered and frozen, then defrosted and reheated in a pan until piping hot.Ingredient swaps
- Swap the dates for raisins
- Add a splash of rum to the water when soaking the dates (or raisins) for a boozy addition.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of chopped roasted hazelnuts to the cake mixture for a nutty flavour.
Dates
I use Medjool dates, but any juicy dates will be fine. Just remember to remove the stone before you chop them.Treacle
This is a dark, sticky syrup with flavours or molasses. It’s a key ingredient to sticky toffee pudding, so I wouldn’t recommend replacing it with anything else. Nutritional Information is per serving (this recipe serves 8).Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 457mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 1021IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in August 2017. Updated September 2021 with new photos and a couple of tweaks to the recipe. Updated again in October 2024 with some FAQ’s and a bit of housekeeping.
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