Sticky Toffee Pudding is a warm, sweet, and sticky dessert that combines the natural sweetness of dates with a rich toffee sauce. Then, each individual pudding is topped with whipped cream, more toffee sauce, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. This classic English dessert is sure to satisfy even the sweetest tooth and is perfect for all of your holiday menus! I plan to serve these as my New Year’s Eve dessert. For another sweet toffee dessert, try my Banoffee Pie, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Dates: Dates are the star of this dessert. They are cooked down in water to create the date paste.
Butter: Use unsalted butter in both the pudding and the toffee sauce. You may want to omit the salt in the pudding recipe if using salted butter.
Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar sweetens the cake, giving it a caramel flavor. Brown sugar is also important for a rich, caramel-like sweetness in the toffee sauce.
Molasses: Molasses is added to the toffee sauce to enhance the flavor.
Toppings: Each dessert is topped with whipped cream and more toffee sauce. A sprinkle of kosher salt is also added to provide a subtle touch of saltiness to balance the sweetness.
Can I Make Sticky Toffee Pudding Ahead Of Time?
Yes, sticky toffee pudding can be made a few days in advance for easy prep when ready to serve the desserts. Bake the puddings in the ramekins as instructed. Then, let them cool completely. Wrap or cover the puddings and store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. When ready to serve, reheat the puddings in the oven or microwave. For the best flavor and consistency, make the toffee sauce fresh when ready to serve the desserts. (Or, if making the toffee sauce in advance, store that separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator.) You can also freeze the baked puddings in freezer-safe containers for up to 2-3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before reheating and adding the toffee sauce.
Can I Make Sticky Toffee Pudding Without Ramekins?
Yes, you can make sticky toffee pudding without ramekins. If you still want individual-sized desserts, you can use a jumbo muffin tin to cook the pudding. Or, to make the dessert family-style by baking the pudding in a baking dish. Keep in mind that baking times will vary, depending on which alternative you choose. The pudding is done when an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
How To Store Sticky Toffee Pudding
To store sticky toffee pudding, first, let it cool completely. Then, cover each dessert (without whipped cream) and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Store the extra toffee sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator as well. When ready to serve, simply heat up the pudding and the toffee sauce. Top each dessert with whipped cream, toffee sauce, and kosher salt.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
Pudding
- 1 package (8 ounces) dates, pitted
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Toffee Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- whipped cream, for serving
- kosher salt, for garnish
Instructions
Pudding
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 6, 6-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and place them on a large baking sheet.
- To a small pot over high heat, add dates and water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cook until soft, broken down, and most of the water is gone (about 10 minutes). Break up any remaining chunks with a spatula until you have a paste.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the butter and brown sugar together.
- On low speed, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the date paste and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat together until just incorporated.
- Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared ramekins, filling each about ¾ full. Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 38-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs clinging to it when inserted into the pudding.
- In the last 10 minutes of baking, prepare the toffee sauce.
Toffee Sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, molasses, and vanilla. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Set aside.
Assembly
- Using a skewer, poke 10-12 holes in each pudding.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the toffee sauce over each pudding, allowing the sauce to soak in. Reserve the rest of the sauce.
- Once the sauce is soaked up, carefully remove the pudding from ramekins, and place them on individual serving plates.
- Top with whipped cream and the reserved toffee sauce. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Enjoy!
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Oh my this is amazing and impressive individual dessert! This would be great for a dinner party!
Elizabeth
I thought this dessert would be a little too sweet, but it was amazingly delicious! I loved the moist texture of the cake and the idea of serving this in ramekins for individualized desserts.
Rachael
Delicious little cake with a lot of flavor! The dates add so much natural sweetness to this and the toffee sauce over top really adds so much moisture and elevates this dessert! The personal-sized ramekins are so cute, too.
Annabelle
Super tasty and perfect individual servings! I would recommend this for anyone at any skill level!
Bella
The rich toffee drizzled on top of the moist cake is perfection! This recipe is perfect for individual servings!
Selena
This was really delightful. The cake was moist and had a really warm, flavor. Don't skip the salt at the end. It really was the icing on this cake!
Hi, do you think this could be made ahead of time or is best served soon after baking?