Sticky Toffee Pudding

There’s something so comforting about a warm sticky toffee pudding, with its beautifully moist date sponge and rich, buttery toffee sauce. It’s a classic British dessert and a particular favorite of my husband’s, so it’s always a special treat when I make it.

Dates and traditional black treacle give this sticky toffee pudding its wonderfully deep, caramel-like flavor. Served warm with plenty of toffee sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cold pouring cream, it’s hard to resist.

What Is Sticky Toffee Pudding?

Despite its name, it’s a little different from what Americans usually think of as pudding. In Britain, the word pudding is often used to describe dessert in general, including warm sponge puddings like this one.

Dates are an important part of a traditional sticky toffee pudding. Once softened, they add natural sweetness, moisture, and a lovely depth of flavor to the sponge. Black treacle gives this version an extra richness that pairs beautifully with the buttery toffee sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Beautifully moist sponge: Softened dates give the pudding its wonderfully tender texture, and this recipe has been specially adapted for high-altitude to ensure a soft and stable rise.
• Rich, buttery toffee sauce: Made from brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, and black treacle.
• Perfect for sharing: One dish makes eight generous servings, making it a lovely dessert for family dinners and special occasions.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Dates: I recommend Medjool dates for their naturally soft texture and sweetness. Other varieties of pitted dates will also work, although firmer dates may need a little longer to soften. You can leave the softened dates finely chopped for some texture or purée them for a smoother sponge.

Black treacle: Traditional British black treacle adds a deep, slightly bittersweet caramel flavor to both the sponge and toffee sauce. Unsulphured molasses is a suitable alternative if you can’t find black treacle, although the flavor will be a little different. Avoid blackstrap molasses, which is much more bitter.

Dark brown sugar: Adds moisture and rich caramel flavor. Light brown sugar can also be substituted for a slightly milder result.

All-purpose flour: Unlike many British recipes that use self-raising flour, this recipe uses American all-purpose flour with baking powder and baking soda added separately.

Whole milk: Helps keep the sponge soft and tender. I recommend using whole milk for the best texture.

Heavy whipping cream: This gives the homemade toffee sauce its smooth, rich consistency. It’s also delicious poured cold over the finished pudding.

Baking at High Altitude

I developed and tested this sticky toffee pudding in my Colorado mountain kitchen at approximately 8,500 feet above sea level.

High-altitude baking can be challenging with sponge cakes, as batters tend to rise more quickly and moisture evaporates faster. Getting the balance of leavening, liquid, and baking temperature right is especially important.

For this recipe, I’ve adjusted the baking powder and baking soda while keeping enough butter and liquid to produce a beautifully moist sponge. I also baked the pudding at 360°F, slightly higher than the temperature used in many traditional sticky toffee pudding recipes. My pudding baked in just 36 minutes in a ceramic baking dish.

Baking at a lower elevation? This recipe was developed for high altitude, so you may need to adjust the leavening and baking conditions closer to sea level. See the recipe notes for more information.

You can also learn more about baking at high altitude in my Kitchen Guides.

How to Serve Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is best served warm, with plenty of homemade toffee sauce.

My favorite accompaniments are vanilla ice cream or cold pouring cream. A scoop of vanilla ice cream slowly melts over the warm pudding, while cold heavy cream poured over the top soaks into the sponge, making everything delightfully moist.

Both are delicious, and traditional British custard is another lovely option.

Can You Make Sticky Toffee Pudding Ahead?

Yes! Sticky toffee pudding makes a lovely make-ahead dessert, especially when entertaining.

Bake the sponge and prepare the sauce ahead of time, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Reheat gently, adding the warm toffee sauce before serving.

For the best texture, reserve most of the sauce until you’re ready to enjoy the pudding.

If you enjoy traditional British desserts, you might also like my Apple Crumble, another comforting favorite that’s delicious served warm with custard or vanilla ice cream.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

A traditional British sticky toffee pudding with a beautifully moist date sponge and rich, buttery homemade toffee sauce. Delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream or pouring cream.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Makes 8

Ingredients

  

For the Sponge

• 200 g pitted dates (about 1⅓ cups chopped)
• 200 ml boiling water (¾ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 100 g unsalted butter softened (7 tbsp)
• 150 g brown sugar (¾ cup)
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 60 g black treacle (about 3 tbsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 225 g all-purpose flour (about 1¾ cups + 1 tbsp)
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 90 ml whole milk (6 tbsp)

For the Toffee Sauce

• 150 g brown sugar (¾ cup)
• 75 g unsalted butter (5 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream (¾ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 30 g black treacle (about 1½ tbsp)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Equipment

• 10×8-inch baking dish
• Medium saucepan
• Kitchen scale optional, but recommended

Method

 

Make the Sponge

1. Finely chop the dates and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour over the boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes, until very soft. Allow to cool until lukewarm. Do not drain.
Leave the dates finely chopped for a little texture, or blend with their soaking liquid for a smoother sponge.
2. Preheat the oven to 360°F conventional. Lightly grease a 10×8-inch baking dish with butter.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar for approximately 2 minutes, until creamy and pale in color.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Gradually add to the butter and sugar mixture, a little at a time, along with a spoonful of the flour mixture with each addition, mixing gently until incorporated. Mix in the black treacle.
6. Gently fold in the remaining flour mixture, followed by the milk and the cooled dates with all their soaking liquid. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
7. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the sponge is set, lightly springy, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out without wet batter.

Make the Toffee Sauce

1. While the pudding bakes, combine the brown sugar, butter, heavy whipping cream, black treacle, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.

Assemble and Serve

1. Once baked, allow the sponge to rest for 2–5 minutes, then prick the surface all over with a skewer. Slowly pour approximately one-third of the warm toffee sauce over the sponge. Leave for 5–10 minutes to absorb.
2. Cut into eight portions and serve warm with the remaining toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream, cold pouring cream, or custard.

Notes

Dates: Leave the softened dates finely chopped for a little texture, or purée them with their soaking liquid for a smoother sponge. The finely chopped version was used in the original successful test.

Black treacle: Unsulphured molasses can be substituted, although the flavor will differ slightly. Avoid blackstrap molasses.

Baking dish: Use a 10×8-inch baking dish, at least 2 inches deep. Different pan sizes or materials may affect the baking time.

Storage: Refrigerate leftover pudding and toffee sauce separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Lower elevations: I developed and tested this recipe at approximately 8,500 feet. For baking closer to sea level, try increasing the baking powder to 1½ tsp, reducing the milk to 75 ml (5 tbsp), and baking at 350°F (175°C). Begin checking for doneness around 35 minutes. 

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