The Best Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe That’ll Make You Lick The Plate

The Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe: A Cozy British Affair – There’s something about a cold, dreary afternoon that makes me want to turn on the oven and fill the house with the smell of something sweet and comforting.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Ultimate

Lumina Liu

If you're looking for a classic British treat that's sure to hit the spot, you can't go wrong with Sticky Toffee Pudding. It's basically a soft sponge cake filled with dates and covered in a super rich toffee sauce. This version is totally perfect for when you want to make something special, or just need a cozy pick-me-up on the weekend.

5 from votes

Prep Time 45 Minutes

Cook Time 25 Minutes

Total Time 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings 7 servings

Calories 485 calories kcal

Ingredients

 

• 225g Medjool dates
• 175ml Boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• 85g butter
• 140g demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 100ml milk
• 175g muscovado sugar
• 50g butter
• 225ml double cream
• 1 tbsp black treacle

Instructions

 

1. Stone and chop the dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour the boiling water over. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in the vanilla extract.
2. Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
3. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle then gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used.
4. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.
5. Put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.
6. Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over.
7. For even stickier puddings, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil. When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling.

Nutrition

Calories: 485.00 caloriesFat: 25.00 gCarbohydrates: 65.00 gProtein: 4.00 gSaturated Fat: 15.00 g

Keyword sticky toffee pudding, british dessert, date pudding, toffee sauce, medjool dates, traditional british pudding

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Few desserts answer this call quite like sticky toffee pudding.

I first attempted this recipe during what I’ll dramatically call The Winter of My Discontent—that period when my ancient heating system decided to semi-retire and I found myself essentially living in three sweaters. When life hands you cold radiators, make warm pudding, right?

The Humble Charm of Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is a quintessentially British dessert that, despite its rather demure appearance, packs a flavor punch that can make even the most sophisticated desserts blush with inadequacy.

It’s not going to win any beauty contests with its brown-on-brown color scheme, but what it lacks in Instagram appeal, it more than makes up for in taste. Trust me on this.

This particular sticky toffee pudding recipe is what I consider the “ultimate” version—not because I’m declaring myself the authority on British puddings (I can barely pronounce “Worcester” correctly), but because it strikes that perfect balance between ease and indulgence.

The date-studded cake is moist and tender, while the toffee sauce… oh, that sauce. I’d probably eat it straight from the pan if I hadn’t burned my tongue doing exactly that the first time I made it. Lesson learned.

The Magic of Dates in Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe

Before you wrinkle your nose at the thought of dates—if you’re one of those people who associates them with health food stores and grandparents—I need you to trust me here.

The dates in this sticky toffee pudding recipe aren’t just an ingredient; they’re the backbone of the whole operation.

When soaked and mashed, Medjool dates transform into this magical paste that infuses the cake with moisture and a caramel-like sweetness that’s impossible to replicate.

They practically dissolve into the batter, leaving behind no stringy evidence, just their honeyed essence. Even my “I don’t like dried fruit” husband couldn’t detect them—he just wondered why this cake was so much better than others.

Preparing the Date Mixture

The process starts with 225g of Medjool dates (the plumper and softer, the better). Stone them and chop them into small pieces—nothing too precise, we’re not making date confetti here.

Put them in a bowl and pour 175ml of boiling water over them. This isn’t just about softening them; it’s about extracting all their caramel-like goodness.

Let them soak for about 30 minutes until they’re cool and thoroughly saturated. Then, mash them a bit with a fork—we’re aiming for a rough paste, not date smoothie.

Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, which helps round out the flavor profile. This humble mixture is the secret weapon of our sticky toffee pudding recipe.

Making the Pudding Batter

While your dates are having their spa treatment, you can get started on the cake batter.

There’s nothing particularly tricky here, just your standard mix-and-fold operation, but as always, the devil is in the details.

Preparing Your Baking Tins

First things first: prep your pudding tins. This recipe uses seven mini pudding tins, each about 200ml in capacity. Butter them generously—and I do mean generously.

Then flour them lightly. The last thing you want is your beautiful sticky toffee puddings refusing to come out of their tins.

If you don’t have pudding tins (join the club), ramekins or even a muffin tin will work in a pinch, though you might need to adjust the baking time.

Set your prepared tins on a baking sheet and preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/gas mark 4).

Mixing the Batter

In a bowl, mix together 175g of self-raising flour and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. In another bowl, beat 2 eggs.

In yet another bowl (yes, this recipe is a dish-washer’s nightmare), beat 85g of butter and 140g of demerara sugar together for a few minutes until the mixture looks slightly creamy.

I say “slightly” because with this amount of sugar, it will still look quite grainy, and that’s perfectly fine.

Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, don’t panic—a spoonful of the flour mixture will bring it back together.

Beat in 2 tablespoons of black treacle, which gives this sticky toffee pudding recipe its distinctive deep, almost licorice-like undertone.

Now comes the gentle part: using a large metal spoon (not a whisk, which would overwork the batter), fold in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the 100ml of milk.

Repeat this process, ending with the final third of flour. The goal is to maintain as much air in the batter as possible while ensuring everything is well combined.

Finally, stir in those soaked dates. The batter might look a little curdled at this point—don’t worry, that’s just the dates getting friendly with everything else. The consistency should be like a soft, thick batter.

Divide the mixture evenly among your prepared tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes have risen and feel firm to the touch.

The Glorious Toffee Sauce

While the puddings are baking, it’s time to make the sauce that puts the “sticky” in sticky toffee pudding recipe. This isn’t just any sauce—it’s a rich, deep, buttery toffee concoction that will make you want to lick the spoon, the pan, and possibly your plate in public.

Creating Toffee Magic

In a medium saucepan, combine 175g of muscovado sugar, 50g of butter, and half of the 225ml of double cream. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

The sugar needs to dissolve completely, which might take a few minutes. Don’t rush this process—undissolved sugar equals grainy sauce, and nobody wants that.

Once the sugar has dissolved, stir in 1 tablespoon of black treacle. This adds depth and complexity to the sauce. Turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 minutes until it reaches a rich toffee color.

Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to prevent burning. There’s a fine line between “beautifully caramelized” and “tastes like a campfire,” and it’s surprisingly easy to cross.

Take the pan off the heat and beat in the remaining cream. The sauce will be silky smooth and utterly irresistible.

Bringing It All Together

When the puddings are done, remove them from the oven and let them rest in their tins for a few minutes.

Then, using a small palette knife, carefully loosen them from the sides of the tins before turning them out.

Serving Options for Sticky Toffee Pudding

You have two routes here, both excellent:

1. Immediate Gratification: Serve the puddings right away with the warm toffee sauce drizzled generously over them. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream that will melt into the warm pudding, creating rivers of creamy goodness. This option is for those of us (me included) who lack patience when warm dessert is within reach.
2. Delayed Gratification (But Worth It): For an even stickier experience, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Place the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover loosely with foil (to prevent the sauce from forming a skin) and let them sit for a day or two—the puddings will absorb some of the sauce, becoming increasingly moist and sticky. When ready to serve, reheat in a 180°C oven for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling.

Either way, these sticky toffee puddings are divine on their own, but they also pair beautifully with cream, custard, or that aforementioned scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tips for Perfect Sticky Toffee Pudding

Having made this recipe more times than I care to admit (during that heating crisis, it was practically a weekly affair), I’ve picked up a few tricks that might help you:

• Date Selection: If your Medjool dates aren’t super soft, soak them in hot water for a bit longer than the recipe suggests. The softer they are, the more easily they’ll incorporate into the batter.
• Treacle Tricks: Measure your black treacle by oiling the spoon first—it’ll slide right off instead of clinging stubbornly to every surface it touches.
• Sauce Consistency: If your sauce seems too thick after adding all the cream, you can thin it with a touch more cream or even a splash of milk. Conversely, if it’s too thin, let it bubble a little longer to reduce.
• Make-Ahead Magic: These puddings freeze beautifully (without the sauce). Make a batch, freeze individually, and then defrost and warm through before drowning in freshly made sauce when the craving strikes.

Variations to Try

While this sticky toffee pudding recipe is pretty perfect as is, there are a few variations I’ve experimented with that might appeal to your taste buds:

• Boozy Version: Add a splash of rum or bourbon to the toffee sauce for an adult twist.
• Nutty Addition: Fold some toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter for textural contrast.
• Spice It Up: A pinch of cinnamon, ginger, or even cardamom in the batter adds a warming note that’s particularly welcome in winter.
• Salted Toffee Sauce: Add a generous pinch of flaky sea salt to the sauce for a salted caramel variation that cuts through the sweetness.

The great thing about this sticky toffee pudding recipe is that while it has the structure of a classic, it’s amenable to gentle tweaking.

That said, the first time you make it, I’d recommend following the recipe exactly to understand the baseline perfection we’re working with.

In my kitchen, this dessert has graduated from “occasional treat” to “emotional support pudding.”

It’s the thing I make when friends come over and I want them to feel instantly at home, or when someone needs cheering up, or when I’ve had one of those days where nothing seems to go right.

There’s something about the warmth, the sweetness, and the pure indulgence that makes everything seem a little bit better—at least for the duration of dessert.

So the next time you find yourself with a few hours to spare and a craving for something deeply comforting, give this sticky toffee pudding recipe a try.

Your kitchen will smell amazing, your taste buds will thank you, and anyone lucky enough to share it with you might just become a friend for life.