Sticky Toffee Pudding

About This Recipe

Sticky toffee pudding is arguably the greatest British dessert ever created — a moist, dark date sponge smothered in a rich, buttery toffee sauce. Despite its relative modernity (the recipe dates to the 1970s, attributed variously to the Sharrow Bay Hotel in the Lake District), it has become the archetypal British pudding and appears on virtually every British restaurant menu, usually served with a jug of extra hot sauce poured tableside. The dates dissolve into the sponge during baking, adding an intense, caramel-like depth without a discernible date flavour — the trick is softening the dates in hot water or tea with a little bicarbonate of soda before folding them in, which breaks the fruit down and lightens the crumb at the same time, giving the sponge its characteristic moist, almost fudgy texture rather than a dry, dense one. The toffee sauce itself is simple — butter, dark brown sugar and cream boiled together until it deepens in colour — but timing matters: pulled too early it stays thin and syrupy, and pushed too far it can seize or turn bitter. Serving the pudding warm, with the hot sauce poured over just before eating so it soaks into the sponge, is what makes the dessert as indulgent as its reputation suggests.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 200 gmedjool dates(pitted and chopped)
• 200 mlboiling water
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• 75 gunsalted butter(softened)
• 150 gdark muscovado sugar
• 2large eggs
• 175 gself-raising flour
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 200 gunsalted butter(for the toffee sauce)
• 200 gdark muscovado sugar(for the toffee sauce)
• 200 mldouble cream(for the toffee sauce)
• 1 tspvanilla extract(for the toffee sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the dates

   Combine the chopped dates with the boiling water and bicarbonate of soda. Leave to soak for 10 minutes until soft, then mash roughly with a fork into a rough purée.

2. 2

   Make the sponge batter

   Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour and vanilla. Stir in the date mixture — the batter will be thin and dark.

   The batter looks loose and unpromising, but trust the process — the dates and liquid steam the sponge to incredible moisture.

3. 3

   Bake

   Pour into a greased 23cm square baking tin (or 8 individual pudding moulds). Bake for 30–35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean and the top is springy.

4. 4

   Make the toffee sauce

   Melt the butter and muscovado sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Add the double cream and vanilla. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy.

5. 5

   Soak and serve

   Poke holes all over the hot sponge with a skewer. Pour ⅓ of the toffee sauce over the sponge and allow it to absorb for 5 minutes. Serve warm portions with the remaining sauce poured generously over the top. Vanilla ice cream is the essential accompaniment.

Watch: Sticky Toffee Pudding

Variations

• •

  Individual Puddings: bake in buttered individual pudding moulds for 20–25 minutes for elegant dinner party presentation.

• •

  Coffee Toffee: add 1 tablespoon of espresso to the toffee sauce for a mocha version.

Storage

The sponge (without sauce) keeps for 3 days at room temperature. The toffee sauce keeps refrigerated for 1 week. Freeze the sponge for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions