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A soft and moist date sponge cake is topped with an irresistible toffee sauce in this Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe. Baked in ramekins for beautiful individual desserts!
Sticky toffee pudding is a popular English dessert…and it’s not pudding at all! The recipe actually consists of a date sponge cake topped with a sticky toffee sauce. If that sounds a little unique, don’t worry – I promise it’s super yummy!
Why You’ll Love This Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
What makes this recipe so good? Here are a few things!
- Easy! Both parts of this recipe come together in a few steps. No special tools or skills required!
- Individual servings. This sticky toffee pudding recipe is baked into small ramekins. Each one is the perfect size for one person!
- The sauce. Hands down, the best part of this recipe is the sticky toffee sauce. It’s made with butter, heavy cream, and light brown sugar. Super simple to make but the flavor is incredible.
What You’ll Need
Both the sponge cake and toffee sauce portion of this recipe are made with a few basic ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
For the Cakes
- Medjool dates – Pitted.
- Water
- Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature. You’ll need extra butter to grease the ramekins as well.
- Light brown sugar – Using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar adds to the molasses flavor of the cakes.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – Bring the eggs to room temperature before starting.
- Molasses – Adds a warm, rich flavor throughout the sponge cake.
- Flour
- Baking powder & baking soda – Both leavening agents are needed to make sure the cake rises and have the appropriate texture.
- Salt – Helps to balance and enhance the other flavors.
For the Toffee Sauce:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar – The main difference between sticky toffee sauce and caramel is that sticky toffee sauce starts with brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- Vanilla
- Salt
How To Make Sticky Toffee Pudding
This easy sticky toffee pudding recipe comes together in a few simple steps. You can find the printable version of the instructions below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the ramekins with butter.
- Cook the dates. Pit and chop the dates. Sprinkle with baking soda and stir. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat. Allow the dates to sit until soft. Use an immersion blender to puree the dates. Set aside.
- Make the batter. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time then add in the molasses and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients on medium-low heat.
- Add the dates. Gently fold the date mixture into the batter with a wooden spoon. Do not overmix.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly into the ramekins (or muffin tins). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool. Run a knife around the edges of the ramekin and flip it over so it slides out.
- Make the toffee sauce. Heat everything except for the vanilla over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from heat, stir to combine, and allow to cool a bit.
- Enjoy. Serve the cake warm and pour the toffee sauce on top.
Tips for Success
Here are a few things I’ve found helpful when making this sticky toffee pudding recipe.
- Check the ramekins frequently. Watch closely as the time baking can vary greatly depending on your oven and the size of your ramekins. It’s best to start you timer for 18 minutes and then keep an eye on them until the toothpick method checks out.
- Avoid overbaking. Don’t overbake as the cakes will dry out and won’t have the “melt-in-your-mouth” texture to them.
- Cool in the ramekins. These are best served warm, but I found that allowing the ramekins to cool before removing made it easier for them to not fall apart. You can just reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds and serve.
- Stir the toffee sauce constantly. It will burn easily if you stop, so be sure to consistently stir the mixture.
Serving Suggestions
Sticky toffee pudding is delicious when served warm with a dollop of toffee sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Crumbled walnuts make a great topping.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Both the sticky date pudding cake and the toffee sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store them in separate airtight containers.
- Reheat. The easiest way to reheat them is in the microwave in 15 second intervals. Be sure to stir the sauce frequently.
More Toffee Recipes To Try
Sticky Toffee Pudding
A soft and moist date sponge cake is topped with an irresistible toffee sauce in this Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe. Baked in ramekins for beautiful individual desserts!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cakes:
- 8 ounces Medjool Dates pitted
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature. Plus, 1 Tablespoon of extra butter for greasing the ramekins
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons molasses
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
Ingredients for the Toffee Sauce:
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 6 ramekins with butter.
- Pitt and chop the dates and add them to a small saucepan with the water. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates and give it a quick stir to mix.
- Bring the dates to a boil then turn off the heat and allow the dates to sit until soft.
- Use a stick immersion blender directly in the pan to puree the dates. Be careful as the dates are hot and them mixture will be shallow, but you can get the job done. (You can also add them to a food processor, but I didn’t want to have to wash all those parts.) Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and cream together on medium speed, until light and fluffy (not grainy).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the molasses and the vanilla, mix.
- In a separate medium-size bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix on medium-low just until the flour is combined with no more flour streaks.
- Add the date mixture directly to the batter and gently fold in with a wood spoon or rubber spatula. Again, do not overmix.
- Place the greased ramekins on a baking sheet and divide the batter evenly between them.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean.
- Once finished baking, remove to cool. Take a knife and run it around the edges of the ramekin and flip it over to all it to come out.
- Serve it flat side up warmed and with toffee sauce.
Directions for Toffee Sauce:
- Add everything, EXCEPT the vanilla to a medium saucepan.
- Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the sugar completely dissolves and the sauce is smooth, approximately 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and stir to combine.
- Allow the sauce to cool and it will thicken up a bit. Serve it warm spooned over the cakes.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Calories: 771kcal | Carbohydrates: 112g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 618mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 82g | Vitamin A: 1215IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 3mg
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2 comments on “Sticky Toffee Pudding”
You didn’t add the water anywhere. I am assuming it goes into the date mixture
Hi Mary, Yes, it goes in the saucepan with the dates. We updated the recipe card. Thanks!