Sticky Toffee Pudding
This easy Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe is made up of a moist date sponge and creamy toffee sauce. A make-ahead dessert that is freezer-friendly and always a winner for Christmas or any special occasion.
There’s one pudding that always makes an appearance in the Baking with Granny household at Christmas – or any special occasion, really – and that is Sticky Toffee Pudding.
So, what is Sticky Toffee Pudding? It’s a beautifully moist sponge cake made with dates, which gives it that deep caramel flavour (nature’s candy and all that!). If you’re a fan of date bakes, you might also enjoy my Krispy Date Slice or Date & Walnut Loaf. It’s then drenched in a sweet, creamy toffee sauce that soaks into every bite. Served warm with cream, ice cream, or custard, it’s the ultimate comfort pudding.
The origins of Sticky Toffee Pudding are often debated. Some say Scotland, others claim England, and some even say Canada. But regardless of where it came from, it remains a firm favourite across generations.
Why is Sticky Toffee Pudding always a favourite in our house? Quite simply, it’s just amazing! A real family favourite for us all, from Papa to the boys. And one of the things I love most is how well it keeps when made ahead of time. While some puddings are best eaten within a day or two, Sticky Toffee Pudding also freezes beautifully. That’s probably why it’s always on our Christmas Day menu. We’d much rather spend time together as a family than faffing with yet another dish.
That being said, we usually end up with a small serving of Sticky Toffee Pudding, due to already stuffing our faces with a huge plate of food. But rest assured, a slice of Sticky Toffee Pudding never goes to waste – it’s just as delicious when reheated the next day, particularly for breakfast (no judgement here!).
Tips for the best Sticky Toffee Pudding:
• Use both syrup and treacle: Golden syrup adds sweetness while treacle gives depth and colour – together they create that classic Sticky Toffee Pudding flavour.
• Check for doneness: Bake until the sponge is firm to the touch. A skewer inserted should come out mostly clean, but still a little sticky. Don’t overbake, or you’ll lose the lovely moistness.
•Be generous with sauce: The toffee sauce is what makes this pudding so moreish. Serve with plenty poured over, and keep extra in a jug at the table for people to add even more!
• Make your pudding ahead: This pudding keeps beautifully well. Bake it in advance, cut into portions, and freeze. Re-heat portions in the microwave or oven, then warm the sauce and pour it over before serving.
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Sticky Toffee Pudding
EQUIPMENT
- 20x20cm Baking Tin (8-inch)
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g Dried Pitted Dates (chopped)
- 300 ml Water
- 60 g Butter or Margarine (softened)
- 150 g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Free-range Eggs (beaten)
- 2 tbsp Golden Syrup (See Notes)
- 2 tbsp Treacle (Molasses)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 200 g Self-raising Flour
- 1 tbsp Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
For the Toffee Sauce
- 100 g Butter or Margarine
- 100 g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- 150 ml Double Cream (Heavy Cream)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). Grease a square 20x20cm (8-inch) baking tin with butter/margarine and dust it with a little flour. Set aside.
- Place the dates and water into a small pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer for a minute before removing from the heat and setting aside to steep.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter/margarine and sugar until it is well mixed. Add the syrup, treacle, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Gently sift in the flour and fold together to create a batter. Set aside.
- With a hand blender, mix the date and water mixture (alternatively, mash with a potato masher), then add the bicarbonate of soda and mix. The mixture will have a frothy consistency – this is normal.
- Whilst the date mixture is still warm, add it to the batter and mix to combine before pouring the completed batter mixture to your pre-greased baking tin.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes until the pudding is firm. Once cool enough to touch, turn the pudding out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Toffee Sauce
- Place the butter/margarine, brown sugar and cream into a small pan and gently bring to a boil before reducing the heat to simmer for a few minutes, continuously stirring.
- Pour over your pudding portions before serving.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Storage: Once completely cooled, Sticky Toffee Pudding can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Always store the sauce separately in the fridge.
- Freezing: Both the sponge and the sauce freeze really well. Cut the pudding into portions, wrap each piece tightly in cling film, and place in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Freeze the sauce in a separate tub. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm individual portions of pudding in the microwave, or cover with foil and reheat in the oven until hot through. Gently reheat the sauce in a pan or the microwave, stirring well before serving.
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Substitutions:
- Margarine or Butter: Either will work for both the sponge and the sauce.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Can be swapped for light brown sugar, although the flavour will be slightly less rich.
- Self-Raising Flour: If using plain (all-purpose) flour, add 2 tsp baking powder to make up for the missing raising agent found in self-raising flour.
- Treacle: Treacle can be swapped like-for-like with molasses, as they are much the same in flavour and texture.
- Golden Syrup: If you can’t source golden syrup, see my Golden Syrup Substitutes guide for alternatives. That being said, for the very best Sticky Toffee Pudding, it’s well worth tracking down the real thing.
What is Golden Syrup?
Golden Syrup is a popular baking ingredient in the UK… But what is it? Where can you get it? And what can you use as a substitute?
My in-depth Golden Syrup Guide has all the answers to your questions!
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a classic British dessert made with a moist date sponge and served with a rich, creamy toffee sauce. It’s usually enjoyed warm with custard, cream, or ice cream.
Sticky Toffee Pudding is made by soaking chopped dates in hot water and bicarbonate of soda, then blending them, before adding them to a sponge batter, flavoured with golden syrup, treacle, and brown sugar. Once baked, the sponge is served with a simple toffee sauce made from butter, sugar, and cream.
Yes, absolutely! Sticky Toffee Pudding freezes beautifully. Cut into portions, wrap well, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating. The sauce can also be frozen separately.
Yes, most traditional recipes (including mine) use dried pitted dates. Don’t worry if you’re not usually a fan of dates – once soaked and blended, they break down into the sponge to give it that signature sticky texture and deep caramel-like flavour, and you wouldn’t even know there are dates in there!
Golden syrup is best for Sticky Toffee Pudding, but if you can’t find it, there are alternatives – see my Golden Syrup Substitutes guide for ideas. But for the best results, it’s always worth sourcing golden syrup.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-free: To make this a gluten-free Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe, use a gluten-free self-raising flour blend in place of the regular self-raising flour.
Dairy-Free: Swap the butter/margarine for a dairy-free alternative, and use a plant-based cream for the toffee sauce.
Egg-Free: Replace each egg with 1 tbsp flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water (leave to thicken before adding), or use your preferred shop-bought egg replacer.
Vegan: To make this a vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding, simply use dairy-free margarine, an egg substitute ( like those mentioned above), and a plant-based cream for the sauce. The rest of the ingredients are naturally vegan-friendly.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
Have always enjoyed baking with granny.Quite a blessing you are!
I trialled the recipe using maple syrup and treacle as didn’t have syrup it was great, the only thing was the cooking times it said 30 to 35 minutes fan oven at 160c this wasn’t enough cooking time ended up with a extra 20 minutes still a tad wet in the middle buy the end result was restaurant quality rich and decadent!
Mine was the same as you. I thought it was my oven and put a note to do a shelf higher next time. Nice to know it wasn’t just me. Excellent recipe though as everyone loved it on Christmas Day.
Does this recipe need 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate – it seems a lot. Has anyone else tried it?
Hi Sian. Yes it is 1 tbsp of bicarb! If you watch our Facebook Live you can see the full explanation as to why – I thought it seemed a lot too but it really is required.
. Just made this , its was delicious and so easy to make.
Can this be kept in the fridge instead of freezer
Fantastic recipe, I add in some cinnamon to just for added kick. Delicious
Fantastic recipe, I add in some sweet cinnamon to just for added kick. Delicious
Hi Amy, I made this last year, it was delicious but it sunk in the middle. I thought it was me doing something stupid. I made it again this year, weighing everything very carefully. It has sank again. This is happening while still in the oven so it’s not because it’s underbaked. Any ideas? Thanks
I’m having the same issues with baking times as did the 35mins on 160 degrees fan oven but it seemed still sticky when doing the knife test ! And sunk as well on oven after rising very well at the start ! Ended up cooking for a further 15 mins I will report back on how it tastes later
I have made this sticky toffee pudding several times and my son loves it…..I was wondering if making a gluten free version all other ingredients remain the same quantities…