Sticky toffee pudding is a beloved dessert that has become a favorite comfort food, especially in the colder months. Originating from the UK, this rich, moist sponge cake is drenched in a luscious toffee sauce, making it the perfect indulgence for anyone with a sweet tooth. The combination of warm cake and gooey toffee sauce is simply irresistible, and it’s a treat that has stood the test of time.
The cake itself is made from a simple batter of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, but what sets it apart is the addition of dates. Chopped dates are softened and blended into the batter, giving the cake a rich, caramel-like flavor and a slightly dense texture that melts in your mouth. The dates also contribute to the cake’s moistness, making it incredibly tender and satisfying.
What truly makes sticky toffee pudding shine is the toffee sauce. Made with butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream, the sauce is simmered until it’s thick and velvety. Once the cake is baked, the sauce is poured over the warm sponge, allowing it to soak into every nook and cranny. The result is a gooey, sticky delight that is both sweet and comforting.
Sticky toffee pudding is traditionally served warm, often with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, custard, or whipped cream. The contrast between the hot, sticky cake and the cold, creamy topping makes every bite a perfect combination of temperatures and textures. It’s a dessert that feels indulgent yet comforting, making it ideal for special occasions, holiday meals, or simply as a treat to enjoy with loved ones.
Whether you’re enjoying it after a festive dinner or as a cozy weekend dessert, sticky toffee pudding is a delicious, heartwarming dish that captures the essence of British comfort food. Rich, sweet, and utterly satisfying, it’s a dessert that will leave you craving more.
Ingredients
- 180 g dates pitted and chopped
- 250 ml water boiling
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 60 g butter softened
- 150 g brown sugar dark
- 2 eggs beaten
- 180 g flour self-raising
- 100 g butter for toffee sauce
- 200 g brown sugar light, for toffee sauce
- 250 ml double cream for toffee sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a baking dish.
- Combine the chopped dates and boiling water in a bowl and add the bicarbonate of soda. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then mash the mixture gently.
- In a separate bowl, cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs gradually, mixing well.
- Fold in the flour and the date mixture until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- To make the toffee sauce, melt the butter with the light brown sugar in a pan over low heat. Stir in the double cream and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the hot toffee sauce over the baked pudding before serving.
Nutrition
This pudding is absolutely amazing! So moist and delicious! My family loves it!
Made this with my kids, and it was a hit! They helped with everything and had so much fun. Will make again for sure!
Honestly, I found it too sweet. The toffee sauce was overkill for me. Might skip the sauce next time.
Sticky toffee pudding? More like sticky toffee mess! Will stick to chocolate cake next time.
Sticky toffee perfection! Just needs a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! 🍦
Tastes good but what’s up with all the butter? I mean, I used margarine instead and it worked just fine. LOL.
I tried it, but the texture was weird. Not what I expected. 🤔
The sauce curdled a tiny bit for me when I simmered too hard. Lower heat fixed it eventually, but yeah, watch that part.
The bicarbonate step scared me at first but it worked. I think it helps lighten the date mixture. Mine came out a little dense, but still delicious.
Best thing I’ve baked in ages! Toffee sauce is like magic! 5 stars!
Lol, just made it and ate half the pan! 😋 So good!
It’s good but way too sweet for my taste. I had to drink water after every bite! 😂
Haha, I know right? It’s so addictively good! I can’t believe I’ve never tried it before this! 😍
Absolutely loved it! The toffee sauce is heavenly 😍. Will make again! 5 stars!
I didn’t have dates, so I used raisins instead… still turned out good though!
Yummy 😋
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try this recipe. 😍
I dunno, toffee pudding seems too sweet for me. Do people really like this? 🤔
Disaster! Mine burnt on the bottom and was raw in the middle! 😭 What went wrong?!
I made this for guests and everyone asked for the recipe. The toffee sauce is thick and glossy, not grainy. Great comfort food.
Honestly, I was skeptical about baking dates with bicarbonate, but the texture came out surprisingly moist. Great flavor.
This was AMAZING! I’ve been searching for the right sticky toffee pudding recipe and I finally found it. Thank you!
Really? I found it too sweet. Did you use less sugar or somethin?
So glad you loved it! This is my go-to dessert recipe now, too! 😊
Absolutely delicious! This recipe made my day. The toffee sauce is heaven!
This is a great comfort dessert. My kids ate it without complaining (rare!). Only thing: don’t boil the cream too hard or it might split.
Very easy to make and the kids loved it! Perfect for family gatherings.
Wow. Dates + toffee is a combo I didn’t know I needed. I added a pinch of salt to the batter and it really popped.
Honestly it tasted kinda like caramel-flavored brownie. Not bad, just didn’t fully feel like “toffee pudding” to me. Still, I’ll make it again.
I did everything right, but it was still mushy. What did I do wrong? 1 star.
Hmmm, I think I messed up coz my pudding didn’t rise. More flour or what?
No thanks. Didn’t like it at all. The texture was weird for me.
okay but I substituted dates with raisins, unfortunately it was NOT good lol
This recipe ain’t right! I used regular cream instead of double and it turned out okay. What’s the deal with you fancy cooks? LOL
I agree! Sometimes recipes are too fussy. Regular cream might work just fine, as long as you like it!
But isn’t double cream supposed to make it better? I don’t know, I never tried it with regular cream. Still, LOL!
5 stars. OMG.
Right?? The dates + toffee sauce combo is unreal 😍 I did bake it 5 min longer and it came out perfectly gooey.
Sticky toffee pudding is the best! My grandma made it all the time. This recipe is spot on!
My family demolished this! It was so good. So glad I found this recipe! 4 stars!
4 stars? Are you sure? This deserves at least 6! 😂 Seriously though, it’s amazing!
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s a family favorite here too. 😍
I found the dates kinda weird in this. Tasted sweet but not what I expected.
I was skeptical about dates + pudding, but wow. The flavor is like sticky toffee meets cake. Next time I’ll mash a bit more aggressively.
This was a disaster. It overflowed in the oven. Do NOT forget to grease the dish!!
I couldn’t find pitted dates, used raisins instead. Anyone else think that was a bad idea?
Honestly, 250 ml double cream for sauce seems like a lot… but I guess it’s toffee pudding, right? Still, wow. 10/10.
Yeah, 250 ml sounds huge at first, but double cream makes the sauce go all glossy and rich. It’s basically the best part 😄
Idk… I made something similar and it turned out too thick. Maybe use 200 ml cream and simmer less? Still sounds tasty though.
Made it without the toffee sauce and it was still super good.
WOW! This is dessert heaven! Next time, I might try putting nuts in for crunch. Yum! 🤤
My grandma always made this, but hers was way better. This is just okay.
I was skeptical about 1 tsp bicarbonate + boiling water with dates, but it actually makes the texture so tender. Mine baked closer to 38 min though.
Same here—I was like “bicarbonate??” but it really does make the dates go all soft and tender. I think the extra time you gave (38 min) probably helped too!
The oven temp was fine, but 30-35 min was not enough for my dish. I had to bake closer to 45 minutes to get the center set.
Delish but way too rich for me. Next time will serve smaller portions.
Way too sweet for me even with cutting the light brown sugar a bit. Still, the pudding itself is nice and moist. Sauce is the real star.
Way too sweet for me personally. The sauce is amazing though—just next time I’ll reduce the light brown sugar by like 20-30g.
Yum! Perfect for cold nights. I doubled the sauce though. Can’t get enough!
I love that you doubled the sauce! It’s the best part, right? Can’t wait to try this recipe myself. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds good, but isn’t doubling the sauce a bit too much? I mean, how would it not drown the pudding? Just curious.
Not bad, but my batter seemed super thick and I panicked. It still baked fine. Next time I might mash the dates more thoroughly.
So yummy! The toffee sauce was the best part! Who knew such few ingredients could taste so good?
Meh, I thought it would be more fluffy. Mine turned out dense.
Just wanted to say, I don’t even like dates but this dish surprised me. Yum! 4 stars.
Yum! Perfect comfort food for rainy days. Will make again for sure!
It’s good but way too sweet. Like, who needs that much sugar? 😬
Totally agree! I had to add extra cream just to balance it out. 😅
It’s a dessert, it’s supposed to be sweet! Just eat it with some ice cream and you’ll be fine. 🍦
Toffee sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste. Might reduce the sugar next time. But the pudding itself is nice.
I get that! The toffee sauce can be really sweet. Reducing the sugar sounds like a good idea. Glad you liked the pudding though!
This tastes dangerously good. The dates give it this rich caramel vibe and the sauce basically makes it dessert-superpower level. Followed it exactly—no regrets.
Not bad, but took longer to cook than stated. I had to leave it in an extra 15 mins.
Yummy! My kids loved it. They had seconds. Thanks for the great recipe!
Is it really just dates in this? I thought there’d be more fruit. Kinda disappointed.
I get your point, but the dates are really what give it that unique flavor! 🍮
This was too sweet for my taste. I think I’ll cut down the sugar next time.
I used salted butter by accident and the sauce tasted salty-sweet. Not terrible, but I’d probably use unsalted next time. Also, the directions are super clear.
Omg so good! 10/10 would eat again. Also, I accidentally used self-raising flour instead of all-purpose. Oops!
Sticky toffee pudding is a classic but I think it’s too rich! My husband loved it though, so maybe it’s just me.
I dunno, this pudding is OK, but my mom’s recipe is better. Plus where do you even find dates? 🥴
This is basically sugar in a pan. Might as well pour syrup on a cake. Not impressed.
This pudding was a hit at my dinner party! Everyone loved it. Definitely making it again!
That’s awesome to hear! Sticky toffee pudding is one of my all-time faves! 🍰
I don’t get what the big deal is. It sounds kinda weird with dates. Maybe I’ll try it but not sure.
Didn’t have dates so used raisins. Still super tasty!
Idk bout the soda, it kinda foamed weird. But still, the pudding was moist and the sauce saved it. 10/10?? maybe 7/10 lol
Made this for family night and it was gone in minutes. The toffee sauce is basically the main event—so rich and comforting.
I used regular sugar instead of brown and it still turned out great! Who knew?
That’s awesome! It’s good to know that you can make substitutions and still get a great result. I never would have thought to use regular sugar!
Why do you need dates? Can’t you just use chocolate? I don’t get it!
Great recipe! I added nuts as a variation and it was crunchy and tasty! I’ll make it again for sure!
Easy steps, but mine didn’t thicken as much for the sauce as I expected—like it stayed kinda runny. Still tasty though, just more like caramel topping.
I don’t get why people rave about this dessert. It was okay but not the best. Maybe too sweet for my taste.
I thought it was too sweet too! Maybe just a drizzle of sauce next time? That might help balance it out.
Not sure what you mean. This is like one of the best desserts! Maybe you just need a better recipe?
Absolutely delicious! Just like my grandma used to make. The toffee sauce is divine!
OMG this is so good! A friend recommended it and wow, I’m never looking back.
idk it was kinda dry on the inside for me even though I baked it right. still, the outside was chewy and yummy.
It’s ok, but honestly, it’s just cake with a sauce. Not as impressive as people say.
First time making this! It came out kinda soggy. Did I do something wrong? Followed the instructions.
Too much cream in the sauce, didn’t like it. Just went with a bit of caramel instead.
I agree, the cream can be overwhelming! I swapped it for almond milk last time and it was much better. Have you tried that?
The sauce instructions are solid, but I would watch it—my cream started to bubble faster than expected. Turned down the heat and it fixed it.
Yeah totally—my cream got a bit too lively too. I stirred constantly and kept it on low, simmered only a couple minutes like you said. Great save by turning the heat down!
Sticky toffee pudding? More like sticky disappointment. Won’t do this again.
I’m sorry to hear that! Maybe the dates were overcooked or too ripe? They can definitely change the pudding’s flavor.
This was the best sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever made! So rich and sticky, just like the ones from the pubs! 😍
Mine came out kinda dry. Gonna try again, but maybe less flour? IDK.
Delish! Easy to make, even for my baking skills which are… lacking 😂. 5 stars!
I think 180°C is too hot? Mine browned on top before the skewer was clean. I ended up loosely covering with foil and finishing it.
My grandma made a version of this when I was little, and it brings back so many memories. Thanks for the recipe!
Wasn’t sure about the dates… but this is so good! Glad I tried it!
I tried it but it didn’t turn out right. Maybe I mixed it too much? 🤔
This tastes like a proper comfort dessert. The dates give it this deep sweetness and the toffee sauce is dangerously good—don’t skip it.
Good recipe, but mine was a bit too sweet (maybe because I used light brown sugar for the pudding too). Next time I’ll measure more carefully.
Not as sticky as I thought it’d be. Still good but needs more sauce.
Okay, this is my new favorite dessert. I added a scoop of ice cream on top too. DELICIOUS!
Looks hard to make. I dunno if I can handle all those steps. Are you sure it’s THAT good?
I’m so glad you loved it! Ice cream sounds like the perfect addition. I might try that next time!
Came out kinda dry for me. Maybe I should’ve took it out sooner? Not bad but not great.
Sounds like it might have needed a bit less time in the oven. Next time, just check it a few minutes earlier. But hey, at least it wasn’t a total flop!
I thought sticky toffee pudding was supposed to be moist. You sure the oven temperature was right? It can mess things up!
Easy to make! I added some vanilla to the sauce. Yum! 10/10 would recommend!
I love that you added vanilla! That’s a great twist. I have to try it like that. Thanks for the tip!
10/10? Really? I thought it was a bit too sweet for my taste. Maybe I should cut down on the sugar next time.
Made this tonight—sweet, rich, and the toffee sauce really brings it together. I’d recommend letting the dates sit the full 10 minutes; it makes the texture way smoother.
Yummy, but I don’t get why we have to mash the dates? Can’t we just chop them? 🤷♂️
Who cares if you chop or mash? It’s still gonna taste good! Just do your own thing! 🍰
I think mashing helps to release the natural sweetness and makes it smoother in the pudding. Chopping might leave clumps? 🤔
Very sweet! Maybe too much sugar?? I like it but watch out if u don’t like sweet stuff.
Why do you add bicarbonate of soda? Does it really do anything? Seems odd to me.
Bicarbonate of soda helps to tenderize the dates and makes the pudding light and fluffy! It’s a common trick in many baked goods. Trust the science! 😊
How do you make toffee sauce? I just dumped the sugar in, did I mess up?
I followed the recipe to the letter, but it came out like a brick. Not sure what went wrong…
Oh no! That sounds frustrating. Maybe the oven temperature was off? Sometimes that can happen.
I don’t get it. How can a sit like that turn to brick? Were ur dates too dry or something?
This was absolutely delicious! The toffee sauce makes it heavenly. 🍰✨
I didn’t have self-raising flour so I used plain flour + baking powder. It worked… mostly. Still very tasty, but a little denser.