Sticky Toffee Pudding
A soft date sponge soaked in hot toffee sauce: one of the best-loved British puddings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Makes
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
Sticky toffee pudding became famous in the 1970s through the Sharrow Bay hotel on Ullswater in the Lake District, although several places claim to have invented it. The secret ingredient is dates: soaked in boiling water with bicarbonate of soda, they melt into the sponge and make it dark and moist without tasting of dates at all.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 200gpitted dates, chopped
- 250mlboiling water
- 1tspbicarbonate of soda
- 75gunsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 150gdark muscovado sugar
- 2medium eggs
- 175gself-raising flour
- 1tspvanilla extract
Toffee sauce
- 100gbutter
- 150gdark muscovado sugar
- 200mldouble cream
- pinch of salt
Equipment
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- 20 cm square cake tinHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Electric hand or stand mixerHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Small saucepanHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
- 1
Put the dates in a bowl, pour over the boiling water and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Leave for 15 minutes, then mash lightly with a fork.
Photo: ORGANIChouse · CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - 2
Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4 and grease a 20 cm square tin. Beat the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour, then the dates with their liquid and the vanilla. The batter will be loose.
Photo: me (w:User:pfctdayelise) · CC BY-SA 2.5 (cropped) - 3
Pour into the tin and bake for 30–35 minutes until risen and springy. Meanwhile, melt the sauce ingredients together in a pan, then simmer for 3 minutes until glossy.
Photo: Ben Sutherland from Crystal Palace, London, UK · CC BY 2.0 (cropped) - 4
Prick the warm sponge all over, pour over a third of the sauce and leave for a few minutes to soak in. Cut into squares and serve with more hot sauce, and custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.
Photo: Acabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
Tips
Make ahead: the sponge and sauce both keep for 2 days in the fridge; warm them through before serving. The sponge also freezes well.
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If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce split or greasy | Boiled too hard | Whisk in a splash of cream off the heat |
| Sponge heavy | Batter overmixed after adding flour | Fold in the flour gently, just until combined |
