Perfect English Sticky Toffee Pudding
Perfect Sticky Toffee Pudding. NEW VIDEO RECIPE!! The best version of this classic British dessert that I've ever tried. Baked in muffin pans for perfect portions of this moist, rich dense dessert served with an indulgent toffee sauce.
Originally published Jan 2013.
This is the best sticky toffee pudding that I have ever tried. It borrows some of the best elements from a few different recipes for this classic and iconic British dessert.
Sticky Toffee Pudding should be light in texture with a crumb structure that stands up when baked but collapses in the mouth to a dense, sweet, sticky, soft texture.
This recipe hits all of those points and also has a perfect toffee sauce that soaks into the rich moist pudding lending yet another delicious dimension to this tempting dessert.
If you have a favourite pudding form or mold, feel free to use that and keep an eye on it while baking, taking it out as soon as the centre is firm. It is better to err on the side of slightly under-baking than over-baking with this recipe.
I have baked these in muffin tins, which for me is the perfect serving size for this very rich dessert. If you disagree, you can always have two; let's face it, you probably will.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Update June 2018
I've been asked several times over the past few years if this recipe can be made in a tube pan or a bundt pan. The answer is yes. I would not use a very large tube pan, like those you would use for an angel food cake.
This recipe is on the smaller side, so might be too flat in a large pan. It still is not very tall in my large bundt pan but it did bake up consistently moist, so I have no problem recommending a bundt pan.
I actually served 14 people at a family lunch just yesterday and used a bundt pan to bake it. I made sure the pan was very well greased and floured and it slipped out of the pan no problem.
Greasing a bundt pan
My method for greasing a bundt pan is to put it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes and then melt some butter just until it turns liquid. You don't want to super heat the butter to steaming hot.
I then take a pastry brush to brush the melted butter all over the inside of the bundt pan. The butter immediately solidifies on the cold pan and makes sure that all the nooks and crannies are amply covered. A light dusting of flour after that and you pan is ready.
I baked the pudding at 325 degrees F for 55 minutes and it was perfect coming out of my oven.
I still like the idea of using the muffin pans, especially when I am planning to freeze some of the individual puddings but if I know I will be serving a larger crowd, this method may save a little time.
Looking for more holiday dessert ideas?
Be sure to check out our entire collection of Favourite Newfoundland Christmas Cakes here.
Like this Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe?
You'll find many other decadent ideas like this in our expansive Desserts Category and in our Cakes & Pies Category.
It's easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram. Plus you'll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too.
You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You'll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly meals and desserts too!
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Perfect English Sticky Toffee Pudding
Perfect Sticky Toffee Pudding - The best version of the classic British dessert that I've ever tried.
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 8 ounces chopped pitted dried dates
- 1 ½ cups water
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 extra large eggs
- 3 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon golden syrup, or substitute dark corn syrup
- 1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the toffee sauce
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon golden syrup
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To prepare the pudding
- Add the dates and water to a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for only a couple of minutes. Let stand for a few minutes while preparing the rest of the batter.
- Cream together the butter brown sugar and vanilla.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the molasses and golden syrup and beat well.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in three equal portions mixing until smooth after each addition.
- Puree the date mixture in a food processor or blender before mixing in the baking soda.
- Add this hot mixture immediately to the batter and mix until smooth.
- Pour batter into well greased and floured muffin tins and bake for about 18 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees F until the center is just firm.
- Serve warm with Toffee Sauce.
To make the toffee sauce
- Bring all of the ingredients to a slow rolling boil for about 2 min before serving over the baked puddings.
Notes
Baking in a Bundt Pan
If baking in a bundt pan be sure it is well greased and floured as described in the introduction to this recipe. Bake at 325 degrees F for 55-60 minutes.
Serve warm with the toffee sauce.Don't be afraid to double the toffee sauce recipe. People may just ask for more!
To make as individual muffin sized servings
A reader only had one 12 muffin pan so I calculated this recipe to make just a dozen instead of 18. The eggs are the biggest issue in downsizing any recipe. My trick for this if using extra large eggs is to whisk the egg and remove about a tablespoon. That should approximate the size of a medium egg.
Here are the ingredients for 12 muffin sized sticky toffee puddings:
- 5 ½ ounces chopped pitted dried dates
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup butter
• ⅔ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tablespoon molasses
• 1 ½ tablespoon golden syrup (or substitute dark corn syrup)
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
Nutrition Information
Yield
18Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 249Saturated Fat 5gCholesterol 43mgSodium 139mgCarbohydrates 41gFiber 1gSugar 30gProtein 2g
I made these for dessert for company and we all loved them. They were delicious. I used large eggs, which I had on hand. I made half the recipe for the pudding and it made 9 puddings, They were light and moist. I made full recipe for the sauce. Would make again.
The comments and the pictures make me want to try this recipe ASAP!
What can I replace the molasse with?? and sorry if my question sound strange, I am a non-native english speaker: what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
Baking powder gives more lift than baking soda. Golden syrup would be a good substitute for molasses...perhaps honey too.
Awesome recipe. After having sticky pudding at the BBC restaurant I looked for a recipe to make at home. The one I tried had good flavor but was too dense. This one was exactly what I was looking for. I cut the recipe in half and used my large muffin pan so I got six perfect little cakes. Light and moist and perfect for a toffee sauce. I used a different sauce recipe because my daughter doesn't care for molasses but I love molasses so next time I'll try this one. Glad I discovered this site. Tons of recipes I want to try. Thanks
That's terrific. Glad it was such a success. I agree, the texture of this recipe is perfect!
Could you bake this in a charlotte mold? Any idea of what adjustments would be needed? Thanks...looks great btw. I'm adding this to Christmas dinner!
Did you make it in the larger pan for Christmas?
Wow that is amazing,easy to make, mine looked just like the pictures and delicious.
Another great recipe from Rock Recipes, thankyou Barry.
Could you possibly leave out the dates? Or would there be a good sustitute?
You can't just leave out the dates. It is the foundation of the recipe. I have made banana and pumpkin versions of these though.
Is it possible to make ahead and freeze?? Warm up and pour the fresh sauce on top when ready to serve?
Yes I have done that several times.
Yes .....WITH the sauce....Take the cooled puddings out of the muffin tins..place upside down on parchment paper or individual flattened paper muffin liners ..on a cookie sheet..poke holes with skewer or tooth pick or fork in each..spoon the sauce over each pudding..then freeze without covering ...When thoroughly frozen, ,put in container suitable for freezer. When you want one, thaw using defrost in micro for about 15 seconds ....PERFECTION!!!
These are wonderful! I may try reducing the amount of sugar in the batter. Do you think that would work out ok?
You can't reduce it a lot or they want be sticky.
I plan on making this for our Christmas dessert, but I would like to make them ahead. What would be the best way to reheat for serving so they don't get overcooked? Thanks
I wrap them in aluminum foil an warm them gently in the oven.
Thanks!
What molasses do you recommend using?
Generally always fancy molasses and not cooking molasses for baking.
Hi Barry... what size if muffin tins should I use to make these? Thanks in advance.
Can I use raisins as I am allergic to dates and Bananas
I've never tried but you could try pureeing them.
Fantastic recipe - love the cupcake tin idea and have implemented it.
The one thing missing is that British puddings are usually accompanied by a couple (or more!) spoonfuls of double cream on top, and it's this that really brings the dish together.
Unfortunately we don't make double cream in Canada. It's cream with around 45+% milk fat.
I've used unwhipped whipping cream (35% milk fat) to spoon over the pudding as a substitute. Not the real deal, but does the trick.
I can't say enough about this recipe, nor can my family. This was the first time my husband ever had sticky toffee pudding and after taking his first bite he went into a "dream like" state of ecstasy. I used a very large "French white" backing dish; a little bigger than a 9x13 cake pan instead of the muffin tins. I also quadrupled the amount of sauce; after poking holes with a fork in the top of the cake I poured half of the sauce on the cake while it was still hot from the oven and used the other half when serving up each dish. When making this much sauce you only need the 1 Tbsp of molasses and 2 tsp of vanilla. This recipe is the ultimate best ever "Sticky Toffee Pudding" Enjoy!!!
That's so great to hear. Thanks for sharing.
How long did you bake it in the larger pan?
The answer is already in the Notes section of the recipe.
You gave time for a bundt cake pan. She baked in a 13x9x2 would the time be the same as the time for a bundt cake pan?
Can you substitute medjool dates for dried dates?
Are they also dried?