Sticky date toffee pudding is a classic British dessert, known for its rich, moist texture and indulgent sweetness. It typically consists of a soft cake made with dates, giving it a naturally sweet and slightly caramel-like flavor. The star of the dish is the toffee sauce, a rich and buttery caramel-like sauce that is generously poured over the warm pudding. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ll have an unforgettable dessert.
Sticky date toffee pudding is usually served warm, often with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a good dollop of whipped cream. The contrast of the warm, gooey pudding and toffee sauce with the cold ice cream creates a delightful balance of flavors and textures. It’s my favorite way to serve and eat it, though you could eat it alone as well.
If you’re looking for more warm desserts to try, I highly highly recommend trying my authentic Palestinian Knafeh recipe. It’s perfectly crunchy with gooey melted cheese, and drenched in simple syrup.
Sticky Date Toffee Pudding: The Perfect Warm Dessert
Key Features Of Sticky Date Pudding:
1. Date Sponge Cake: The base is a tender cake, made with dates, which give it a natural caramel-like flavor.
2. Toffee Sauce: This is a luscious caramel-like sauce made from butter, brown sugar, vanilla and heavy cream, generously poured over the cake.
3. Serving: It’s usually served warm, often with vanilla ice cream or cream to balance the sweetness. I know adding vanilla ice cream doesn’t sound like it’s balancing sweetness, but trust me on this one.
Ingredients Needed for Sticky Date Toffee Pudding
Ingredients:
1. Dates: The base of the pudding, dates are soaked and mashed, then blended into the batter, providing a natural sweetness.
2. Flour and Butter: These give the cake structure and a tender crumb.
3. Sugar: Typically brown sugar, which adds a deep, molasses-like sweetness. Not too much is used because dates are naturally sweet.
4. Eggs: Help bind the batter together and add richness.
5. Baking Soda: Used to soften the dates and provide the pudding with a light and airy texture.
6. Toffee Sauce: Made from butter, cream, brown sugar, and a splash of vanilla , this sauce is poured over the pudding after baking, and when serving.
7. Milk and Water: Water to soak the dates, and milk to keep the cake moist and supple.
8. Flavorings: Vanilla extract, instant coffee, cinnamon, or nutmeg. These flavorings are optional, but I love using them because they add a nice little extra oomph to dessert.
How to Make Sticky Date Pudding:
There are a few steps, but the cake generally comes together easily.
1. First, remove the pits from the dates and roughly chop them. Add them to a bowl.
2. Sprinkle the baking soda and instant coffee(if you’re using it) on top of the chopped dates. Now add the boiling water and let them soak for 10-15 minutes.
3. Now, Get started on the cake while the dates soak.
4. Add the room temperature butter and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric whisk on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
5. Now, Add in the two large eggs. After that, drizzle in the vanilla extract and milk. Now you can mix again until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Then, add the all purpose flour and baking powder. If you’re using cinnamon and/or nutmeg, add it now as well.
7. After that, beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated.
8. At this point, the dates should have had enough time to soak.
9. Then, mash the dates with a fork or immersion blender until they look mushy and like oatmeal.
10. After that, add the mashed dates to the batter and mix quickly with your electric mixer until smooth and well incorporated.
11. Place the date cake into a pan or personal pudding molds and bake in a preheated oven.
To Serve:
1. During baking time, get started on the toffee sauce.
2. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, heavy cream and butter to a pan. Cook on medium heat until the sugar and butter are melted, and mix together with a whisk. Let it simmer for 2-4 minutes until thickened, and serve it warm.
3. Once the cake is done baking, poke holes all over it and pour a few tablespoons of toffee sauce and let the cake sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
4. Finally, serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and warm toffee sauce.
Gooey, Warm and Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding
More Recipes to Try:
Basbousa (Coconut Semolina Cake)
Authentic Palestinian Knafeh Na’ameh
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Sticky Date Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
Date Soak
- 15 Mejdool dates, pitted, roughly chopped about 320g, or 10-11oz.
- 1⅛ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup Boiling water
- 1 teaspoon Instant coffee optional
Date Cake
- 1⅓ cup All purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Milk
- 2 Large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon optional, but adds great flavor
Toffee Sauce
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1¼ cup Heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter
Instructions
Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 °F
- First, remove the pits from the dates and roughly chop them. Add them to a bowl.
- Sprinkle the baking soda and instant coffee(if you're using it) on top of the chopped dates. Now add the boiling water and let them soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Now, Get started on the cake while the dates soak.
- Add the room temperature butter and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric whisk on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Now, Add in the two large eggs. After that, drizzle in the vanilla extract and milk. Now you can mix again until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- 6. Then, add the all purpose flour and baking powder. If you're using cinnamon and/or nutmeg, add it now as well.
- After that, beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated. At this point, the dates should have had enough time to soak.
- Then, mash the dates with a fork or immersion blender until they look mushy and like oatmeal.
- After that, add the mashed dates to the batter and mix quickly with your electric mixer until smooth and well incorporated.
- Place the date cake into a well greased pan or personal pudding molds and bake in a preheated oven. Check Notes below for bake time. I baked mine in individual molds, so they took about 22 minutes for the skewer to come out clean.
Toffee Sauce
- Add the brown sugar, vanilla, heavy cream and butter to a pan. Cook on medium heat until the sugar and butter are melted, and mix together with a whisk. Let it simmer for 2-4 minutes until thickened, and serve it warm.
To Serve:
- Once the cake is done baking, poke about 8-10 holes all over each pudding cake mold and pour a 1-2 tablespoons of toffee sauce and let the cake sit for 10 minutes before flipping onto individual plates.
- Finally, serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and warm toffee sauce.
Notes
- I made these in mini bundt cake molds, and they were big. They made 6 large individual servings, and it took 20-22 minutes to bake.
- You can also just add the cake into a 9×13 pan and bake until a tooth pick comes out clean, about 25-35 minutes. Poke holes all over and add about 1/2 cup of toffee sauce on top. Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
