Sticky Toffee Pudding

Name: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 200 g pitted dates, finely chopped (Medjool or Deglet Noor work best); 250 ml boiling water; 1 tsp baking soda; 75 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 150 g dark brown sugar, packed; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 175 g self-raising flour; 200 g dark brown sugar for sauce; 200 ml heavy cream (double cream); 50 g unsalted butter; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Rich Sticky Toffee Pudding — Date-Studded Sponge with Luscious Sauce

Soft dates melt into this impossibly tender cake, creating pockets of natural sweetness that pair beautifully with the glossy, buttery toffee sauce. It's the kind of dessert that converts skeptics and makes date lovers swoon—each spoonful delivers pure British comfort.

EnglishDessertComfort FoodIndulgentBakingWinter

Prep20 min

Cook35 min

Total55 min

Servings8

Difficultymedium

Nutrition

fat18g

carbs78g

protein5g

calories485

Ingredients

Cake

200 gpitted dates, finely chopped (Medjool or Deglet Noor work best)
250 mlboiling water
1 tspbaking soda
75 gunsalted butter, softened to room temperature
150 gdark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
175 gself-raising flour

Toffee Sauce

200 gdark brown sugar for sauce
200 mlheavy cream (double cream)
50 gunsalted butter
1 tspvanilla extract

Instructions

Set your oven to 180°C and butter a 20cm square baking dish thoroughly. Don't skip the corners—sticky toffee pudding earns its name.
Cover the chopped dates with boiling water, then stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up dramatically—this reaction breaks down the dates and creates the pudding's signature moistness. Let it sit undisturbed while you prepare the batter.
⏱ 10 min
Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until the mixture turns pale and airy. This takes genuine effort—keep going until it's noticeably lighter in color and increased in volume.
⏱ 3 min
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks slightly curdled, don't worry—it'll come together once you add the flour.
Gently fold in the flour and the cooled date mixture in alternating additions, mixing just until everything comes together. Overmixing will toughen the sponge, so stop as soon as no flour streaks remain.
Scrape the batter into your prepared dish and bake until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed in the center. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
⏱ 35 min
While the cake bakes, make your sauce by combining the brown sugar, cream, and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Keep the heat at medium—you want everything to melt together gradually without scorching.
Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil, dial back the heat to medium-low and let it bubble gently until it coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the vanilla off the heat—the sauce should be glossy and pour easily.
⏱ 4 min
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke it all over with a skewer and pour half the warm sauce over the surface. Watch it soak in—this is what creates those pockets of toffee throughout each slice.
⏱ 5 min
Serve the pudding warm, spooning the remaining sauce over individual portions. It's rich enough that smaller slices are perfectly satisfying.