The first time I went to visit my best friend in London, she insisted we go to a traditional Sunday roast. While the roast beef was exceptional, the real standout to me was the traditional sticky toffee pudding served at the end of the meal. It was decadent without being cloyingly sweet, and felt somehow celebratory and comforting all at the same time. It’s draped in a generous layer of toffee sauce and often served with a side of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or custard sauce.
Why you’ll love it
- It’s a classic dessert. This isn’t pudding in the American sense of the word. It’s a classic English pudding of a moist date sponge cake with a tender crumb.
- I’ve perfected the recipe. After trying and testing dozens of sticky toffee pudding recipes over the years, I’ve landed on this one being my absolute favorite.
Key ingredients in sticky toffee pudding
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the cake and the toffee sauce.
- Dried dates: While you can’t distinguish the flavor of dates once it’s baked, they add a rich, almost caramel-like flavor to the sponge. Dates also keep the sponge moist, which is crucial to absorbing the toffee sauce.
- Spices: A combination of warm spices like ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg taste just like the holidays.
- Brown sugar: Use dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Heavy cream: Adds richness to the sauce.
Helpful tips
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Sticky toffee pudding is all about the leavening agents here. Make sure to use room-temperature eggs in order to ensure a tall, tender sponge. If you don’t have time to let your eggs come to temperature, you can slip them into a bowl of warm water for five to 10 minutes and they’ll be ready to use.
- Keep an eye on time. This recipe bakes quickly! After just about 30 minutes the sponge will be set and ready for a generous blanket of toffee sauce. It gets popped in the oven for five more minutes just to let the sauce properly soak into the sponge.
- Plan ahead. Toffee sauce can easily be made ahead of time (up to one week!). The batter can be prepared and set out at room temperature for a few hours so that it can be baked when you’re nearing time for dessert. Sticky toffee pudding is best served warm, so this really helps with timing.
The history of sticky toffee pudding
While the exact origins are a bit murky, sticky toffee pudding is a decidedly British dish. Multiple people and restaurants throughout the 20th century across the country claimed to have created the popular dessert, but most have been disputed. While sticky toffee pudding has a reputation for being an old-timey dessert, it wasn’t until the 1970s that it really became popularized. Because no one knows exactly where sticky toffee pudding was created, it’s unclear how the addition of dates was added, but it’s certain you can’t make the recipe without them.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Serves 9
For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 large eggs
8 ounces dried pitted dates (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the sauce and serving:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Flaky salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Make the cake:
1. Place 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Place two large eggs on the counter. Let both sit at room temperature until the butter is softened.
2. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 9-by-9-inch square baking dish with butter.
3. Place 8 ounces pitted dates and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over the dates and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Scrape the date mixture into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until pureed, 20 to 25 seconds.
4. Wipe the bowl the dates were in dry. Place 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg in the bowl. Whisk until combined.
5. Add 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar to the bowl of butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add one egg and beat on medium speed until combined, then add the second egg and beat until just combined. Add the date puree and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixer.
6. Add the flour mixture to the date mixture and beat on the lowest speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the batter to the baking dish and smooth into an even layer.
7. Bake until the cake is set and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Immediately use the tines of a fork to poke holes all over the cake, poking all the way down to the bottom and spacing the pokes about 1/2-inch apart.
Make the sauce:
1. Melt a stick unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Drizzle 1 cup of the sauce over the warm cake. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the sauce bubbles, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired. Serve the toffee pudding hot with the remaining sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Recipe note: Leftover cake and sauce can be refrigerated in separate airtight containers for up to four days.
(Alexis deBoschnek is a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)