Few desserts capture the essence of British comfort food quite like sticky toffee pudding. This indulgent classic features a moist date sponge, generously drenched in a rich toffee sauce, and traditionally served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of custard.
Never tried making your own? You won't believe how easy it is to make, and if you follow our top tips, you'll be rewarded with a delicious dessert that delivers comfort in every bite.
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Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
50 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Cal/Serv:
665
Ingredients
225g
pitted dates
75g
softened butter
200g
demerara sugar
225g
self-raising flour
2 medium eggs
2Tbsp.
golden syrup
1tsp.
bicarbonate of soda
For the toffee sauce
75g
butter
75g
dark muscovado sugar
250ml
double cream
2Tbsp.
golden syrup
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of an 18 x 25.5cm roasting tin with baking parchment. Put dates into a food processor and pour in 300ml just-boiled water. Leave to soak for 5min.
Step 2Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat together butter, demerara sugar, flour, eggs and golden syrup with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
Step 3Whizz the date mixture to a purée, then pulse in bicarbonate of soda. Fold date purée into the batter until well combined. Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for 45-50min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Step 4Meanwhile, make the toffee sauce: melt butter in a medium pan. Add sugar, double cream and golden syrup. Bring to the boil, stirring often, and simmer for 3-5min until thickened. Serve warm cake in squares, drizzled generously with sauce (reheat if needed) – and ice cream, if you like!
Get Ahead
Make 1 day ahead. Wrap cooled date cake (in tin) in clingfilm and store at room temperature. Cover sauce and chill. To serve, reheat cake in a 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 oven for 12-15min to warm through. Reheat sauce until hot.
GH Tips
It's important to only add the bicarbonate of soda to the date mixture just before it's ready to be added to the butter. Bicarbonate of soda will begin to take effect as soon as it comes into contact with liquid, so it's important that you move as quickly as possible to get the mixture into the oven once it's added.
Don't open the oven door too early to check the sponge otherwise you run the risk of having a sunken pudding. Only check after 40min in order give time for the sponge structure to set.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
