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British Irish

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

A warm English sticky toffee pudding with soft date sponge and glossy buttery toffee sauce.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 1 September 2026Updated

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English Sticky Toffee Pudding

1 hrtotal

Prep 25 min · Cook 35 min

Serves
4
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
None
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 4 servings.

You'll need: Oven, Stovetop.

No inactive time; the dates soak in hot water while the butter and sugar are creamed, so the soaking sits inside the prep rather than adding to it.

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C and grease a small baking dish or pudding moulds.

  2. Soak the chopped dates in hot water with baking soda until soft, then mash lightly.

  3. Beat part of the butter with part of the brown sugar until creamy.

  4. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, and soaked dates.

  5. Pour into the prepared dish and bake until the sponge is risen and a tester comes out mostly clean.

  6. For the sauce, simmer the remaining butter, remaining brown sugar, and cream until glossy and slightly thick.

  7. Prick the warm pudding lightly and spoon some sauce over it so it soaks in.

  8. Serve warm with extra toffee sauce.

How to tell it's done

The pudding should be soft, moist, and sticky, with a glossy toffee sauce coating the sponge.

Getting it right

Tip

Let the warm sponge absorb some sauce before serving; that is what gives the pudding its sticky texture.

What to serve it with

Serve warm with extra sauce, cream, custard, or vanilla ice cream.

Substitutions

  • Use Dried Dates if Dates are unavailable; soak a little longer until soft.
  • Use Whipping Cream instead of Heavy Whipping Cream if needed, but the sauce may be slightly lighter.
  • Do not skip soaking the dates; this keeps the sponge moist and sticky.