Sticky Date Pudding – you’re my favourite and always will be. Also known as Sticky Toffee Pudding, the simple trick that makes all the difference is to pour some Butterscotch Sauce over the warm cake when it comes out of the oven. It makes it ultra moist and gives it that intense dark colour. Plus, more sauce to serve, of course!
STICKY DATE PUDDING – A CHILDHOOD FAVOURITE
Who else has childhood memories of Sara Lee frozen Sticky Date Pudding??
It is the only store bought dessert my mother ever bought – and only on special occasions. And as much as I loved it, my one gripe was always that there was not enough Butterscotch Sauce to go around.
Never fear. You won’t have that problem with this recipe! 😂
I know this recipe is called Sticky Toffee Pudding by most of the world – other than Australia and New Zealand it seems. And given that dates are the key ingredient in the pudding, I would say we’ve got it right for this one!!
DATES ARE KEY
I am pretty sure this is the only recipe I use dates for. And I realise that the photo above of the date sludge may look thoroughly unappetising to some people, but rest assured even if you’re a date hater that you can’t taste it in the end result.
The dates contribute to the stickiness and moistness of the sponge, as well as giving it colour. Don’t ask me for a sub! (Oh wait, you can. Prunes. Pretty much the same thing! 😂)
ONE FOR EVERYONE – OR A BIG ONE TO SHARE
I think it’s more common here in Australia to make one pudding cake that is then cut to serve. Sara Lee frozen dessert style. Whereas in the UK it seems more common to make individual puddings.
I might be wrong here. But either way will work fine, and I’ve provided cook times and directions for both.
SECRET TIP: DOUSE HOT PUDDING WITH SAUCE
If you’ve ever made one of those cakes that you douse with syrup, you’ll know exactly what you’re in for with this trick!
It goes like this – as soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, poke lots of holes using a skewer (I find this strangely satisfying but let’s not read too much into this), then pour over some hot butterscotch sauce.
This makes the pudding intensely moist as well as staining the sponge to give it that signature dark brown colour, rather than being a pale golden colour which many sticky toffee pudding recipes are.
It also means this pudding keeps for days and days in the fridge and once reheated, it’s just like it’s fresh out of the oven.
The only question is – will you serve yours with cream or ice cream? I’m an ice cream gal, all the way!! – Nagi x
More cosy warm desserts for cold winter nights!
-
Apple Crumble – personal favourite!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Sticky Date Pudding
Ingredients
- 280g / 9oz pitted dates , roughly chopped (Note 1)
- 1 tsp baking soda / bi carb soda
- 1 cup / 250 ml boiling water
- 40 g / 1/4 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
- 80 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 2 eggs , at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups / 185 g plain flour (all purpose)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Butterscotch Sauce:
- 200 g/ 1 1/4 cups brown sugar , loosely packed
- 375 ml ml / 1 1/2 cups thickened cream (heavy cream)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 70 g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter
Serving:
- Ice cream or dolloping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection).
- Grease 7 pudding moulds (Note 2) with butter or grease and line a 20 cm / 8" square cake pan with overhang.
Mashed Dates:
- Place dates in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Pour over boiling water. Stand 10 minutes, then mash well with a potato masher (or fork) until it resembles sloppy porridge (see video for texture / thickness). (Note 3)
Batter:
- Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined and smooth.
- Add eggs, beat until incorporated.
- Add flour then sprinkle baking powder across the surface. Mix until flour is incorporated.
- Add dates, mix quickly until dates are well incorporated into the batter. (Note 2) Follow directions to make one pudding or individual ones.
One Pudding:
- Pour into cake pan, smooth surface. Bake 35 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While still hot, poke about 40 holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch Sauce, leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Use overhang to lift cake out. Cut, serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.
Baking Individual Puddings:
- Pour batter into pudding moulds, only fill 2/3 of the way up.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While still hot, poke about 10 holes on the surface of the pudding. Spoon over 1 tbsp of Butterscotch Sauce per Pudding. Leave to soak 10 minutes.
- Turn pudding moulds upside down on serving plate. Serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.
Butterscotch Sauce:
- Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir, then bring to simmer.
- Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once, then remove from heat. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes:
- This recipe probably makes more sauce than you need - but it's better to err on the side of caution!
- An electric beater will make your life easier but a whisk + wooden spoon will work fine too without exerting yourself too much. Just make sure your butter is well softened and easy to mix by hand.
- Poking holes into the pudding and pouring the sauce over to soak stains the pudding sponge a darker colour as well as adding more moisture into the pudding.
- Sticky Date Pudding is indulgent and very sweet, from both the dates + sugar in sauce. If you don't have a sweet tooth, this dessert is not for you! To reduce sweetness, you can skimp on the sauce. Or make a lighter, less sweet sauce as follows: Use half the sugar, butter and cream, make per recipe. When it simmers, add 1 cup low fat milk, then 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water. Simmer to thicken. 4. Make Ahead: Exceptional for reheating because it's so moist. Poke the holes and soak with sauce, reserve remaining sauce for serving. Best way to reheat is in the microwave because it keeps the pudding moist. 5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 9 servings and that all Sauce is consumed, which it may not be. I like to ensure there is enough Sauce because running out is a disaster. Nutrition for 7 individual puddings is 703 calories per serving. They are very generous sizes with loads of sauce (because the sauce recipe makes enough for 9 servings for the pudding cake), so when I scale the Sauce down by 20%, it reduces to 606 calories. Calories per serve for lightened up sauce (see Less Sweet Sauce above) is 477 calories.
LIFE OF DOZER
If you look real close on the right side, you’ll see the tiniest glimpse of my hand as I desperately tried to hold Dozer back from doing a face plant into the Pupcakes…..
In all seriousness though! I made these Pupcakes for the RSPCA, to let people know about the RSPCA Cupcake Day which is on 20 August 2018. It’s a day when bakers from all across Australia gather at their workplace, school or home to raise funds to help all the pooches and other animals who aren’t as fortunate as Dozer.
Join in or find out more about this worthy cause, for all the pooches who aren’t as lucky as ours. Don’t be surprised if I announce that I’m setting up a cupcake stand on the streets! 😂
Can you add vanilla to the date pudding itself?
Best sticky date pudding ever!! I have made this countless times and it’s always SO GOOD but I’ve just altered it for the first time to be dairy free for my little ones intolerances.
For the pudding I swapped the butter to coconut oil, then for the sauce I left out the butter and changed the cream to 400g can coconut cream and added extra 1/4 vanilla
I 1.5x the recipe to make it bigger for my rectangular oven dish and then I find the amount of sauce is perfect. Everyone at church absolutely loved it and couldn’t even tell it was dairy free!!! Thank you
This is now my moms new favorite dessert 😁
This is a dish of absolute deliciousness. Everyone absolutely devoured these. Made as one pudding as I didn’t have the individual pudding moulds. Would highly recommend trying this recipe if you enjoy sticky date pudding.
Great recipe. Worked out perfectly according to the instructions. Just like all of Nagi’s recipes. I selected the less sweet sauce option and it was perfect. Thank you.
Simple recipe with tasty results. I changed up the sauce a little by adding 2tblspn of molasses to deepen colour & flavour and also a pinch of salt. Delicious.
made this and it was so so good!! the process was fairly easy and it took little time to bring everything together. the soft cake paired with the sticky butterscotch and the vanilla ice cream cutting through the richness is absolutely heavenly! the only thing i would as is a teaspoon or so of salt to the butterscotch, i did so and it was a perfect balance and not overly sweet. will definitely make again!
Hi everyone! Any recommendations for a gluten-free version of this? Would almond meal for the flour suffice?
I would be interested to know as well please
I made this recipe gluten free by using the same weight of almond flour. Substituted sugar with coconut sugar for the cake and sauce. Perfect!
Awesome, thankyou!
i have no idea if almond flour would work, however i saw somebody else comment that they used gluten free flour and it turned out well so maybe try that!
Absolutely perfect! Fluffy & light sponge with an indulgent butterscotch. Had it with a high quality organic cream, as ice cream would make it a sugar overkill. It’s better than Nigella Lawson’s recipe! I wanted to lick my bowl afterwards.
The only addition i made was adding 1/4 tsp fine sea salt with the flour in the cake & 1/8 tsp fine sea salt in the butterscotch. Does wonders & lifts up it’s flavour in a balanced way.
So delicious. I’ve never eaten this before since I don’t have a sweet tooth. However, I made a square cake and found it just right. For main I had Pea and Ham soup and the Artisan Bread. I’ve been making this from Zoe’s recipe for two years now and liked your addition of uncovering then baking for an extra 12 minutes. Thank you Nagi, you are an inspiration.
Made this recipe for the first time, so amazing… Everyone wanted seconds… Ohlalalaaa
Did them 2 days in advance as individuals and put the sauce over as per recipe and microwaved them to keep moist when heating up and they were perfect…thanks Nagi for once again a delicious recipe.
have used lots of different sticky date recipes in the past and have been very sweet and some sickly- made this for the first time today- yum yum- super easy , moist and not overly sweet and i am a sweet tooth – now my go to recipe for sticky date 5/5- thanks
Wonderful dessert 10/10 the kids absolutely loved it, they have asked for this again and again. Our elderly neighbour thinks we are the best cooks thanks to your recipes.
I made this for the second time yesterday exactly to the recipe and it worked out perfectly again. I pre made it earlier in the day then reheated in the oven uncovered at 350 for 10 mins. Delicious recipe.
It was absolutely the best sweet thing I’ve eaten during my whole life. Highly reccomend, my family’s favourite!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve made this and it is wonderfully delicious!
I’m just wondering if I could substitute the plain flour and baking powder with gluten free self raising flour?
Sticky date pudding and sticky toffee pudding are in fact not the same dessert. Sticky toffee pudding doesn’t have any dates in it!
Absolutely delicious. Husband’s favourite dessert, first time I’ve ever tried it.
My only issue is you state that it keeps for days and days in the fridge…. mine disappeared almost immediately!
AHMAZING 🤤 🤤 🤤
Hi Nagi, I already made this twice and my family love it so much. For the butterscotch sauce, can I make it without butter? Thanks