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! 😂)
Individual puddings – or a large one for sharing
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
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Sticky Date Pudding
Ingredients
- 280g / 9 oz pitted dates , roughly chopped (Note 1)
- 1 tsp baking soda / bi carb soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
- 80g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 2 eggs , at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Butterscotch Sauce:
- 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed
- 1 1/2 cups thickened cream (heavy cream)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 70g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter
Serving:
- Ice cream or dolloping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
- 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.
More cosy warm desserts for cold winter nights
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…..
Lindy says
I love this recipe so much! Can I make it gluten free?
Shannon says
Questions:
1. Can your double the recipe?
2. How can you make ahead and reheat without a microwave? Leave them in the ramekins?
3. I’m still confused about the 1 1/4 cups as that does not equal 155 grams in any of the conversions I’ve found. Should I just go with 155 grams (we don’t have cup measurements here in Finland)
Thanks so much.
This will be for our Christmas dinner
Nagi says
Hi Shannon – yes use the metric gram weights as they are most accurate. You can double this recipe. You can leave them in the ramekins and keep the sauce separate if you are reheating in the oven. Cover them with foil and reheat, then top with the warm butterscotch just before serving. N x
myra says
Hi Nagi, so I can bake this a day ahead and just add the sauce once reheated.
Grace says
Hello, Nagi! Does this hold its shape well? I am planning to use mini bundt cake moulds. I am worried it might break. Thanks a lot!
Nagi says
I think those would work ok Grace! N x
Anuja Patkar says
I’m planning to make this for a Christmas lunch Nagi. What sized pan would you recommend for a tray bake? I don’t have 10 individual moulds. Thanks! xx
Nagi says
See Step 2 in the recipe for other pan sizes! N x
Mally says
Love this cake with miso butterscotch sauce.
Lorraine O'Sullivan says
I made this last night and my adult family loved it, best sticky date pudding ever. I also added 1 tsp each of ginger, cinnamon and allspice.
Dayana says
I made this the other night for a dinner party we went to and it was a hit! My husband said it was a 10/10! Thank you for a yummy yet easy recipe! I’ve recommended it to my friend already!
Nagi says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Shree says
Hey Nagi! This turned out amazing thanks so much 😍 just wanted to confirm with you, approx how many cups do 280g pitted dates come to?
Nagi says
Hi Shree…just under 2 cups..hope you enjoy!
Magill says
These were truly the very best dessert I’ve had in a very long time. I’ve lost my mothers recipe and I have to say I think this is a duplicate. If I could give it a 10 I would!
Sandy McGruder says
To quote Janice from Friends: “OH…MY…GOD!!” Amazing. So so moist and delicious. Saving this one
Becky says
Amazing recipe – I cooked it in a single cake pan and it turned out beautifully.
Wendy says
Hi Nagi,
Which brand of pitted dates would you recommend?
Thanks 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Wendy, I’ve tried this with a few different types and they’ve all worked fine! N x
Catie Bartelen says
This recipe is sooo moist and sooo delicious! Cooked it for my mum who has sticky date pudding every year for her birthday and she said that hands down this is her favourite. Super easy to prepare and a lot of fun to stab the holes into 😂😅 (no judging!)
Andreea says
Absolutely delicious!! Love the sauce, was ready to drink it straight from the saucepan. Thank you Nagi
Angela says
Delicious. Best sticky date pudding as rated by my husband and father. Thank you
Nicki says
Sticky date is my husbands favourite. After I made this recipe for him he said it’s the best he’s ever tasted. (I doubled up in the sauce!)
Nagi says
Woah, I’m so glad it was a hit Nicki! N x
Lilly says
Oh my god this recipe is literally amazing. I didn’t alter it at all. Incredible!!!!!!
Kira says
Hi! Could I sub the butter for dairy free butter? And the thickened cream for maybe coconut milk or cream? 🙂
Nagi says
I haven’t tried to be honest Kira – I feel like dairy free butter may change the texture slightly! N x
Sarah says
Hi Nagi, thanks a mil yet again. These puds were sensational. My only criticism is the number of serves. 7 to 9 you say, well there were 5 of us the other night and no leftovers for my breakfast. Will not be inviting sweet toothed friends for dinner again 🤣😎
Thanks again! 😘
Sarah
Lauren says
Hi, if I want to make ahead and individual puddings, do I take out of moulds once slightly cooled and then store in fridge? Then to use (i plan to next day), do I just put in microwave to heat then poke holes and pour through sauce?
Nagi says
Hi Lauren, yes 100% right! You’re going to love them!! N x