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This Sticky Toffee Pudding for two is the perfect dessert for a crisp fall date night. If you’ve never had sticky toffee pudding before, it is one of those desserts which taste way better than they sound: soft and moist cake made with dates and a hint of cinnamon drenched in a warm toffee (caramel) sauce and served with plain whipped cream. This dessert is perfectly sweet, spicy and indulgent.
This recipe makes 2 single serve sticky toffee puddings in 6 oz ramekins each, making it a great small-serve recipe for you to try out! The recipe is also quite simple, requiring only 20 minutes of active time.
WHAT IS STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING?
Sticky toffee pudding is a classic British dessert, also sometimes known as sticky date pudding or sticky toffee date pudding. In fact, I first saw it in The Great British Bake-Off!
I find the name to be a bit misleading as this is more of a cake than a pudding. Sticky toffee pudding consists of soft and moist cake made with dates which help make it sweet and moist, and a “sticky” toffee sauce. The sauce is soaked into the cake and also poured on top, and the pudding is eaten warm with vanilla ice cream, custard or whipped cream. The flavor profile is warm and caramel-y with hints of spice.
Since I love to keep things simple, this recipe does not require baking the cake twice. Instead, it is just soaked in the pudding after being baked. And instead of ice cream, I like serving it with plain, unsweetened whipped cream as I find that it cuts through the sweetness of the dessert.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Here are the ingredients you will need (the exact quantities are listed at the bottom of this post in the recipe card):
Date Cakes:
- Medjool dates – you can also try other types of dates but I always see the best results with medjool, and they are widely available!
- Boiling water to soak and soften the dates
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Egg yolk – since this is a small serve recipe, instead of a full egg, we just need an egg yolk. You can save the egg white for an omelette!
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon – I like to add just a hint of cinnamon, but you are welcome to skip it. If you like fall spices, you can also add in nutmeg and ginger!
- Salt
Toffee sauce:
- Unsalted butter – cold or room temperature both are fine
- Brown sugar
- Heavy cream – can be straight from the fridge
- Vanilla
- Salt
Serving:
- Plain heavy cream, whipped
HOW TO MAKE STICKY TOFFEE DATE PUDDING
Now let’s go over the steps.
1. Soak the dates
We start by soaking the dates, which should be roughly chopped, in the boiling water along with baking soda. Cover and rest for 15-20 minutes so the dates soften.
2. Make the date cakes
Pre-heat your oven to 350F and coat 2 6oz ramekins (these are the ones I use) generously with butter. You can also use muffin cups!
Blend the dates and water until a thick paste forms. You can also do this step with a fork if you want some chunks of dates in the cake.
Separately, whisk together the butter and sugar until smooth, creamy and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and whisk until it is combined. Since this is a small quantity, you will need to scrape the bowl constantly with a rubber spatula.
Whisk in the date paste next.
Then sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, and gently fold with a rubber spatula until everything is just combined, taking care not to overmix.
That’s it! Now just divide the batter evenly between the two ramekins, and spread out using a knife or spatula.
Bake the cakes for ~25 minutes until they are just done.
3. Prepare the toffee sauce
While the cakes are baking, we will get started with the toffee sauce. And as your resident recipe simplifier, this is just a dump and stir method! Simply combine all ingredients in a nonstick saucepan, and cook and stir over lowest heat for about 10 minutes. The sauce should become smooth and slightly thick (remember, it will thicken more as it cools). Take care not to overcook the sauce as it can then become solid.
4. Assemble
Once the cakes are baked, use a knife to loosen them from the edges of the ramekin, and trim off their domes. This exposes their interior and allows them to soak up the toffee sauce. The trimmed domes can be enjoyed on their own as they are yummy!
Poke holes in the cakes using the back of a skewer, and slowly pour about 1-2 tbsp of the sauce slowly onto each. The sauce should slowly absorb in, but don’t worry if it doesn’t go all the way.
Carefully turn out the cakes from the ramekins onto your dessert plates.
5. Serve and enjoy!
Serve the cakes while they’re still hot with the remaining toffee sauce poured on top, as well as plain whipped cream!
Remember that the toffee sauce is quite sweet, so you don’t have to use it all up. Add as much or as little as you want. And you can use an ice cream scoop like this one to scoop your cream on top of the cakes and make them look nicer.
Sticky toffee pudding is best eaten warm (or hot), with cold cream on top. Yum yum yum!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Sticky toffee pudding can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If storing, I recommend storing the sauce separately and pouring it on right before serving.
Yes, you can make sticky toffee pudding ahead of time! Store the cakes and the sauce separately in airtight containers. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Then, when you are ready to eat, warm up the cakes and sauce in the microwave in 20s bursts (stirring the sauce in between), pour the sauce on top of the cakes, and serve with cream.
In the mood for more fall friendly recipes? Check these out:
The Best Coffee Cake With Coffee
French Hot Chocolate
Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake
Pecan Upside Down Marble Cake
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Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 oz medjool dates (3–4 dates)
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1–2 tbsp brown sugar (14-28g), depending on your preference for sweetness
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup flour (43g)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
Toffee sauce:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cream
- Vanilla
- Salt
Serving:
- Plain whipped cream or ice cream
Instructions
Cake:
- Pour the boiling water over the dates in a small bowl and add baking soda. Cover and soak for 20 minutes
- Pre-heat oven to 350F and coat 2 ramekins generously with butter
- Blend the dates and water into a paste
- In a separate bowl, whisk the butter with the sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes until light, creamy and fluffy
- Add the egg yolk and whisk to combine
- Fold in the date paste
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Gently fold to combine
- Divide the batter equally between the 2 ramekins and spread evenly
- Bake for ~25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs attached
Toffee sauce:
- While the cakes are baking, make the toffee sauce. Add all ingredients to a saucepan, and place on the stove on the lowest heat setting. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon
Assembly & serving:
- Once the cakes are baked, remove from the oven and poke holes in them using the back of a toothpick
- Pour over about 2 tbsp of the toffee sauce on each cake and let it soak
- Turn out the cakes onto plates, and serve with additional sauce and plain whipped cream (unsweetened)
- Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Comments
Emma
Could I replace the brown sugar for dark brown sugar in this recipe?
Zoha
I think that should be ok!
Sonya
Omg this recipe was so amazing!!! the cake was so tender and soft and the caramel flavor from the dates and toffee paired so beautifully together!!! i even made this dairy free cause my family is lactose intolerant and it turned out amazing. I also love that it’s a small batch so I could just have a nice portion size. you are amazing for making this recipe I will definitely be making this again!!!
Zoha
AWH thank you so much, Sonya! 🙂
Fatima Qureshi
I made this recipe and it’s turned out sooo delicious I really loved plus it’s very easy to make only takes like 20 min. I crave this every single day after making it during Ramadan. The only difference I did was that I was out of creme so I mixed milk and butter to give that creamy texture. But once again it was SOO DELECTABLE. Jazakhallah khair zoha!!!!
Jakki
Just made this recipe. It was delicious! It has now joined my small group of “favorites”.
Sindia
Hi Zoha! Do you recommend using convection oven setting and if so, what temp?
Love your recipes and attention to detail!
Zoha
Thank you! I always use a conventional oven (no fan) and all my recipes are for the same 🙂
ISMA FAIZAH ISMAIL
I made this and it was so delicious. I was craving for a simple sticky toffee pudding recipe. and this was top notch 😚👌🏻
Zoha
YAY!! Thank you!
Virginia
Your recipe was spot on, cooked beautifully in my air fryer for the given time – delicious!
However if I could suggest a couple of things, Please test your recipe more as you are unable to answer simple questions that deviate from your method, also could you give metric weights for ingredients as people who use both, read your recipes, finally, the temperature should be in centigrade as this is the common form used by many.
Zoha
Thanks for the kind review and suggestions, Virginia 🙂 I do test my recipes as they are written, but don’t have the capacity to test for alternate cooking methods which aren’t very common anyway. As for measurements, most of my recipes include both grams and cups! Most of my blog’s viewers are American, which is why I provide temperature in Farenheit. However, i have noted all your suggestions and appreciate them 🙂
Saman Imtiaz
Zoha, thank you for introducing me to this cake. I didn’t know how amazing it could taste. The cake itself is so yum but with the sauce and icecream it’s perfection.
Zoha
Thank YOU for trying it out! Means the world to me 🙂
debbie
Hi Zoha
Please would you let me know how many mls in your 1/2 tsp and 1/4 tsp as in australia our baking tsp are different except I think for 1tsp.
Thanks
Zoha
Hi Debbie! Unfortunately i haven’t ever measured in mls. You can use a 1 tsp measure and just eyeball 1/2 or 1/4 of that 🙂
Stephen
Hi Zoha! Could this be made in a single, larger ramekin? I’d love to make it as a single, smaller cake/pudding. Also, could it be steamed in the traditional manner instead of baking in the oven?
Thanks!
Zoha
Hi Stephen! Yeah, you should be able to do one larger ramekin, just make sure there’s enough room to rise and you adjust the baking time accordingly. I have not tried steaming but see no reason it should not work.
Alyssa
Did not turn out for me. Cake texture was wrong, and toffee sauce never thickened despite being over the stove for 20 minutes. Overall for me this was a recipe fail.
Davi
It was a great recipe I made it for Father’s Day for my family and they enjoyed it and gave it a 10/10, Very good recipe
Zoha Malik
Aw thank you!!! made my day!