This English Sticky Date Pudding is a dessert you’ll want to make again and again. The pudding is baked with sweet dates, then drenched in homemade caramel sauce for an absolutely drool-worthy dessert.
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
We all love a good, hearty dessert, and English Sticky Date Pudding is a classic favorite. This recipe is so delicious, and we’ve made it with a few special ingredients that make it the best:
- Incredible Caramel Sauce: The combination of the homemade caramel sauce and the sticky date pudding is simply irresistible.
- Good-For-You Date Fruits: The use of dates not only adds natural sweetness but also keeps the pudding incredibly moist.
- Ooey-Gooey: This dessert is warm, soft, and incredibly comforting - the perfect treat for a cold day.
- Easy to Make: This recipe is simple and convenient. The puddings are baked in a muffin tin, making them the perfect portion for a single serving.
- Perfect for Gatherings: We love making these for family gatherings and potlucks. They’re always a hit!
Key Ingredients
- Dates – These are the stars of the show. They are finely chopped and soaked in boiling water to make the pudding incredibly moist and sweet.
- Brown Sugar – This is used in both the pudding and the homemade caramel sauce. It adds a rich, molasses-like sweetness that is essential to this dessert.
- Homemade Caramel – Made with brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter, this caramel sauce is poured over the warm pudding to make it extra lusciously sticky.
Substitutions and Variations
This sticky toffee pudding is already a classic, but here are a few fun variations and substitution ideas you can try to make it your own:
- Change the Pan: We baked ours in a muffin tin, but you can make it in a loaf pan as well as individual pudding molds.
- Add Nuts: Feel free to add some chopped nuts to the batter for some extra crunch.
- Use Different Spices: Try adding a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter for a warm, cozy flavor.
How to Make English Sticky Toffee Pudding
Step 1: Chop dates and pour boiling water over them. Sprinkle baking soda and mix well.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, and egg. Whisk to blend.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the oil and sugar mixture. Mix well and add softened dates. Mix again.
Step 4: Pour the batter into the muffin tin cavities and bake for 25 minutes at 355 F.
Step 5: For the caramel, mix sugar, heavy cream, butter, and salt in a pot over high heat. Once the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat to low and cook until the caramel turns amber.
Step 6: To serve, spoon warm caramel over the pudding and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
What to Serve with English Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Sticky toffee pudding is best served warm. It's great on its own, but if you want to take it to the next level, try pairing it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- For a fancy twist, you can also drizzle some extra caramel sauce over the pudding just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any type of dates for this recipe. However, it's best to use large, moist dates, such as Medjool dates. Make sure to pit them and finely chop them before pouring the boiling water over them.
Yes, you can substitute avocado oil with other neutral-flavored oils like vegetable oil or canola oil. However, keep in mind that using oils with a strong flavor, such as olive oil, may alter the overall flavor of the pudding.
Cover the muffin tin with foil to prevent the tops of the puddings from browning too quickly. This allows the puddings to cook and rise evenly. Make sure to remove the foil during the last 5-10 minutes of baking to allow the tops to develop a golden color.
Sticky toffee pudding can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you want to keep it for longer, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just remember to warm it up before serving to bring out its sticky, toffee goodness.
Recipe
English Sticky Toffee Pudding
Video
Ingredients
- 9 large dates pitted and finely chopped
- 1 cup boiling water
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 ⅓ cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- cooking spray
- cacao powder for dusting muffin tin cavities
For The Homemade Caramel
- ½ c brown sugar
- ⅔ c heavy cream
- ¼ c butter
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355 F, spray muffin tin cavities with a thin coating of cooking spray and dust with some flour or cocoa powder.
- In a medium bowl pour boiling water over chopped dates and sprinkle with baking soda. Mix well.
- In a large bowl combine avocado oil, sugar and egg. Give it a whisk.
- In a separate medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add everything to the egg and sugar mixture. Mix well, add softened dates and mix again.
- Divide the batter equally among the muffin tin cavities, cover with a foil and bake for 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
- Take puddings out of the oven, carefully remove from the muffin tin and cool on the wire rack.
For The Homemade Caramel
- Put a small pot on a high heat, add sugar, heavy cream, butter and a pinch of salt and mix the ingredients. Wait until sugar dissolves, reduce the heat to low and cook until caramel becomes amber or dark brown in color, about 5 minutes.
To Serve
- Spoon warm caramel over the sticky pudding and place a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
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Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
LH says
Haven't tried yet but was wondering can you use chopped walnuts or pecans in this recipe. Kind of like a date nut cake?
Iryna says
Yes, chopped nuts sound like a good addition.
Kelly R. says
Hi can I bake these in a cupcake pan?
Iryna says
Yes, that's what I was using.
Anna Southards says
I'm confused. Do I use grapeseed oil or olive oil? Also, do I just spoon in the dates out of water or dump in with water?
Iryna says
Hi Anna! I apologize for the confusion. You can actually add any oil: grapeseed or olive oil will all work just fine. In terms of the dates, you don't spoon them out, add them into the batter together with water. Hope this helps!
Nisha says
Tastes just like how my grandma would make them. You are a star!
Iryna says
Thank you so much for your comment and 5 star rating Nisha! I'm happy you liked this recipe!
Jenny says
This recipe does not work. I tried it twice and both times it resulted in muffins. Is the baking powder measurement off?
Iryna says
Hi Jenny! Sorry the recipe wasn't to your liking. I might give it another go to see if anything needs tweaking. One thing I wanted to mention that in this recipe "stickiness" is obtained by liberally covering the baked pudding with a toffee sauce. Without the sauce the pudding tastes like a muffin indeed.
Another thing you can try next time is poke the baked pudding few times with a fork, pour some sauce over the pudding, let it sit for 10-20 minutes and then serve it with some more sauce. That way the dessert will be even more moist on the inside.
Diana says
This looks great. Does it make 9 as the recipe calls or 12 as the write up calls for
Iryna says
Hi Diana! The recipe makes 9 bigger puddings or 12 smaller ones.
Dannii says
This is probably my favourite dessert. It reminds me of being a kid. Best with vanilla ice cream.
Iryna says
Ice-cream is definitely a great addition to it!
Kristina says
I have to try this dessert out! I love a good sticky dessert and this looks like that!
Iryna says
Thanks Kristina!
Emily Hill says
I've never tried sticky pudding but you have me totally drooling just looking at the photos!
Iryna says
Emily, it's so good and one of my favorites!
Vicky says
I had no idea that sticky toffee pudding was made with dates! I bet the homemade caramel sauce just pushes this dessert over the top.
Iryna says
You're so right Vicky! It's so delicious! Thanks for your comment!
Kim Beaulieu says
This looks seriously delicious. I love sticky pudding and that sauce looks SO good.
Iryna says
Thanks Kim!
Julie says
A friend of mine always wins desserts when it comes to our progressive dinners. This year she made this and it was all I could do not to lick the plate. The density of their desserts are so delicious (and that topping). I can't wait to try this!!
Iryna says
I hear ya. Nothing beats homemade caramel sauce for the topping. I hope you'll like my version of sticky pudding too.