This Easy Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding is a decadent and delicious dessert that combines the warmth of a sticky toffee pudding with the indulgence of chocolate. It is a rich and moist chocolate date cake drenched in a chocolate toffee sauce, and comes together with just 20 minutes of work.
Want a regular sticky toffee pudding instead? Try my Sticky Toffee Pudding For Two!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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What is chocolate sticky toffee pudding?
Chocolate sticky toffee pudding is a chocolate version of the classic and popular British dessert. The word "pudding" is somewhat misleading in my opinion - traditional sticky toffee pudding is a moist cake made with finely chopped dates, served with a luscious toffee sauce and often flavored with warm spices like cinnamon. It is made in both full batches and individual servings, and is quite popular in the fall and winter. To make a chocolate version, chocolate is added to both the cake and the toffee sauce.
The 2 main components of a chocolate sticky toffee pudding are:
- Chocolate date cake. It has a deeper and different flavor profile than a traditional chocolate cake as it is sweetened with medjool dates instead of just sugar, and is very moist and fudgy
- Chocolate toffee sauce. This is a simple chocolate sauce made with butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and chocolate as the main components. The cake is soaked in this sauce and more sauce is then drizzled on top of each slice to serve
Optionally, it is served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (I prefer the latter as it is already a heavy dessert).
So, in summary, just think of chocolate sticky toffee pudding as a very moist and fudgy chocolate cake drenched in a fudgy sticky chocolate sauce! Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds.
Why you should try this recipe
Here are a few reasons you should try this easy chocolate sticky toffee pudding:
- It is a different type of chocolate cake. This cake tastes quite unique and has a different texture than regular chocolate cakes, so is a great way to spruce up your dessert rotation!
- It is quick and easy to make. We're all about to dive headfirst into hosting, potlucks and gatherings as holiday season is upon us, and want to bake simpler desserts which don't take too much time or effort and can easily serve bigger groups. This is perfect for that! No need to layer or frost or chill; just bake the cake, drench it in the sauce and serve
- It looks and tastes impressive. I mean, just look at the picture above! This cake looks insanely good, and you don't have to fret too much with presentation. The chocolate toffee sauce does all the work for you!
- It uses a natural sweetener in the form of dates. I know, there IS sugar in the sauce but hey, we can still pretend this is better! And some of us just love dates (myself included)
Tips to perfect this recipe
A few quick tips for you to perfect this recipe:
- Use a weighing scale. This will yield more accurate results than measuring cups, especially for ingredients like flour, cocoa powder and dates.
- Use Dutch processed cocoa powder. This tastes much better and more chocolatey than regular cocoa powder. Here is the one I use and love
- Don't overmix the cake batter. When adding the dry ingredients, use gentle folding motions and stop mixing once the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can make the cake rubbery
- Don't overbake. Take the cake out of the oven as soon as it is done, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light, moist crumbs attached
- Use high quality dark chocolate for the sauce. Dark chocolate is important to balance out the sweetness. I love using Lindt 70%!
- Don't thicken the sauce. It can be tempting to keep cooking the sauce to thicken it, but you want it to be thinner so it can penetrate the cake better. Also, the chocolate sets as it cools down, naturally thickening it more
Video tutorial
Here is a short video tutorial for this recipe that I recommend watching.
Note: I mentioned vinegar in the video but the recipe does not include vinegar; please follow the written recipe as provided in the recipe card below!
Process with photos
The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
Soak the dates in hot milk, water and baking soda. Then blend to create a date paste:
Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy:
Whisk in the eggs and vanilla:
Whisk in the date paste, and then fold in all the dry ingredients to complete the chocolate date cake batter:
Bake in a 7x11" or 9x9 baking dish. Once slightly cooled, poke lots of holes in the cake with a skewer:
Make the chocolate toffee sauce by combining all ingredients in a saucepan and cooking until everything is melted and smooth:
Soak the cake in the sauce, and reserve some for serving. Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Medjool dates work best for this recipe because they have the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture in them. I love the brand Natural Delight dates sold at Whole Foods!
While you can use white granulated sugar in the cake batter, you do need brown sugar for the toffee sauce for the best results. Both light and dark brown sugar should work fine.
You're welcome to reduce the sugar but not too much, as it is important for the texture of the cake.
No, I strongly recommend using dark chocolate for the toffee sauce to balance out the sweetness.
Yes, a 9x9 pan is similar in area as a 7x11 pan and can be used without any major alterations to the recipe!
Yes, you can make this easy chocolate sticky toffee pudding up to 1 day in advance. Soak the cake in the sauce and cover with cling wrap, and keep the remaining sauce in a separate container. Store both in the fridge and reheat in the microwave when serving.
Store the soaked pudding and remaining sauce in separate airtight containers for up to 5 days in the fridge, and reheat in the microwave to serve.
Related recipes
Chocolate lovers are in the right place at Bake With Zoha! Check out some of my delicious chocolate recipes:
Easy Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour with rest
- Yield: 10-12 servings
Description
Rich and moist chocolate date cake drenched in a chocolate toffee sauce, made with just 20 minutes of work!
Ingredients
Chocolate Date Cake:
- 8 oz medjool dates (226g), roughly chopped
- 1 cup boiling water (240g)
- ¾ cup boiling milk (180g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (113g)
- ½ cup brown sugar (100g)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (162g)
- ½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder (50g)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Chocolate Toffee Sauce:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup brown sugar (150g)
- 1 cup cream (240g)
- 1 cup milk (240g)
- 200g dark chocolate (60-70%)
- ½ tsp salt
- Optional: 1-2 tablespoon cocoa powder
For serving: Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Date Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350F (conventional / no fan) and grease a 7x11 or 9x9 baking pan lightly with butter
- Place the chopped dates in a bowl. Pour over the boiling water and milk and add the baking soda. Cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes while you work on the steps below
- In a separate bowl, whisk the unsalted butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes until the mixture looks light and fluffy in texture
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk again until combined. It's ok if the mixture looks somewhat separated
- Once the dates have soaked, transfer the entire mixture to a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Whisk that into the butter, sugar and egg mixture until combined
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Gently fold until the dry ingredients are just combined and you have a smooth cake batter
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for ~25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light, moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool at room temperature while you make the sauce
Chocolate Toffee Sauce:
- Add all the ingredients to a nonstick saucepan. Place on medium low heat and cook and stir for a few minutes until the butter and chocolate have melted and a smooth sauce forms. Remove from the heat as soon as the sauce starts to thicken up. Taste and adjust as needed (for example, I added a little bit of cocoa powder for a more chocolatey flavor)
- Once the cake has rested for 10 minutes, use a skewer to poke holes all over it (keeping it in the same pan)
- Pour over the chocolate toffee sauce so the cake can soak it up. You will use up about ¾ of the sauce and reserve ¼ for serving, but feel free to adjust based on your preference
- Let the cake soak the sauce for ~10-20 minutes
- Slice up, serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and more sauce, and enjoy!
Video Tutorial:
Notes
- If you see any lumps or grains in the sauce, strain it with fine sieve mesh
- I like to eat chocolate sticky toffee pudding quite hot, so I reheat it in the microwave after letting the cake soak the sauce
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Wafa says
WOW! I was eagerly waiting to try a chocolate sticky toffee pudding and decided to do it as soon as I saw you had shared a recipe. I am usually not a big chocolate fan but really loved this. It was so moist and rich, and my guests were hug fans.
Zoha says
Thank you so much, Wafa! Glad you tried and liked this recipe!
Avneet Sidhu Sidhu says
I made it for my guests and it turned out amazing! I did add a little pumpkin spice for bit of that gingerbread taste. Thank you Zoha!!
N says
Delicious! Used a kitchen scale to measure all ingredients, and turned out perfect! My sauce did get thick, but still was absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Zoha says
Glad to hear that, Nosheen! It's normal for the sauce to thicken up as it cools, but you just don't want to thicken it on the stove.
N says
Thanks Zoha! Made the recipe again, but used the King Arthur Gluten-free flour, and again turned out perfect! 😊
Arshi says
Hi!
I love all your recipes and tried many of them, chicken nan buns, cheese cake, carrot cake and many other were a super hit in our family.
Thank you so much for sharing your hard work. And congratulations for your baby to come 🤗
I tried the chocolate date pudding. It tasted amazing but the middle didn’t cook even after 40 mins. When I saw your video again you’re mentioning the vinegar and not adding boiling water. But in your recipe it doesn’t mention. Kindly update. We finished most of the cake even though the middle was runny.
Thank you again
Zoha says
Hi Arshi! The written recipe is correct and the vinegar was an error in the video (sorry, I have pregnancy brain). The cake not being baked doesn't sound like an ingredient issue but rather an oven temperature issue to me. What size pan did you use?
Annie says
Thank you Zoha for sharing this amazing recipe, I tried it and it was delicious all my guests loved it.
Kanza says
Hey zoha, iam making the cake and while pouring the liquid its not soaking does it usually take time? Thanks
Zoha says
It won't soak it up like tres leches! But the holes should encourage partial soaking 🙂
Saniya Subhan says
I made this recipe and took it to a girls night get-together and everyone loved it! There were only 2 slices left and the girls were eyeing it to see who would get it! I can't wait to make it again! It was so soft, chocolatey and addicting to eat.
I didn't have the right sized pan so I used my springform cake pan which worked well but a rectangular pan would have worked a little better.
Could you share the link to the pan?
Zoha says
AWW thank you Saniya! So glad everyone loved it! I wish I could link my pan but I got it from TJ max 🙁 You can use a 9x9 square pan!
Rabia says
Hi Zoha just tried to make this today using your listed recipe and cant wait to try it. i noticed on your Instagram you also added vinegar but it isn't listed in the ingredients here.
Sara says
Is it ok to make this a day ahead ready for the next day?
Anfal says
Hi can I make this in a 9inch round springform tin it says it’s 23cm x 7cm which is confusing cuz it’s round
Anfal says
Hi can I make this in a 9inch round springform tin it says it’s 23cm x 7cm
Musharaf Begum says
Made this today and it turned out soooo good. Husband and kids loved it. ❤️
Zoha says
Thank you!!!
Pareshay Saeed says
chocolate toffee sauce ko save kaise karengey?
Zoha says
In an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat in the microwave 🙂