If you go to any English restaurant, you’re more than likely to see at least one of the following traditional desserts on the menu:
Apple pie and custard/cream Chocolate fudge cake and ice cream Sticky toffee pudding and custard Eton Mess
It probably sounds like I’m complaining at the lack of variety or imagination, but I’m not!I’d gladly eat any one of those gorgeous desserts, and I’m pretty sure I’d still choose one of them even if there was a huge dessert menu with lots of choice. Sticky toffee pudding is definitely the one I go for most often. Sometimes it arrives looking all posh – sliced into a thin sliver, topped with a little wedge of some kind of brittle, and served with a perfect quenelle of ice cream. That’s all very nice, but I much prefer it when it’s clearly been baked in a big batch, scooped up with a serving spoon, plonked in a bowl and almost drowned in custard. You know, the old-fashioned way, like our grandparents served it. It’s actually really easy to make at home, and making it at home, means you can make enough to serve everybody seconds. Of course everybody has seconds when it comes to sticky toffee pud! It’s a lovely, light sponge, with loads of flavour, and that sticky toffee sauce is so moreish!!
📋Ingredients for Sticky Toffee Pudding
For the sponge cake part:
I use Medjool dates, but any juicy dates will be fine. Just remember to remove the stone before you chop them. If you can’t find dates or don’t like them, you can swap the dates for raisins, just make sure you get nice juicy ones.
For the sticky toffee sauce:
Note about the treacle
This is a dark, sweet, sticky syrup with flavours or molasses. It’s a key ingredient to sticky toffee pudding, so I wouldn’t recommend replacing it with anything else if you want that iconic flavour.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Remove the stones fromt he dates then finely chop them, up. Soak the dates in water for 10 minutes. Beat together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and treacle, then stir in flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and milk. Mush up the dates that are soaking in the water, then add to the cake mixture (including any liquid in the bowl). Stir together. Spoon the sponge batter into a lightly buttered baking dish (tin) and place in the oven for 25-35. minutes, until the sponge is cooked through.
Make the toffee sauce by heating sugar, butter and cream in a pan, until combined. Then bring to the boil, turn off the heat, and stir in treacle and more cream. Remove the cake from the oven and pour over half of the toffee sauce. Serve with the remaining sauce.
This sticky toffee pudding tastes just as good warmed up in the microwave (in portions) – so it’s a great make-ahead dessert. Stay updated with new recipes!Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).
Homemade Custard A nice dollop of vanilla Ice Cream or try my no-churn cereal milk ice cream Lashings of double cream (heavy cream)
What would you serve yours with?
The Best Apple Crumble
Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake
Plum and Almond Tart with Homemade Pastry
Blueberry Crumble Pie
Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Sticky Whisky Glaze
Proper Sherry Trifle
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