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British

Sticky toffee pudding

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A moist, dark date sponge drenched in a rich butterscotch-toffee sauce — one of Britain's favourite winter puddings.

Sticky toffee pudding is a British dessert, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with dates, brown sugar and heavy cream. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Sticky toffee pudding
Photo: Sarah Stierch / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
566

Ingredients

8 servings

For the toffee sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) and grease a 20 × 20 cm baking dish (opens in a new tab). Pour the boiling water over the dates (opens in a new tab), stir in the bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) and leave to soften.

  2. Step 2

    Beat the butter (opens in a new tab) and sugar together, then beat in the eggs (opens in a new tab). Fold in the flour and baking powder (opens in a new tab), then the dates (opens in a new tab) with their liquid and the vanilla (opens in a new tab) to make a loose batter.

  3. Step 3

    Pour into the dish and bake until risen and firm to the touch, and a skewer comes out clean.

    • 30 min
    • 180°C

  4. Step 4

    For the sauce, melt the butter (opens in a new tab), sugar and half the cream with the salt in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), then bubble for 3–4 minutes until dark and glossy. Stir in the rest of the cream.

    Food safety: Sugar sauces get extremely hot — don't taste from the pan.

  5. Step 5

    Prick the warm pudding all over, pour over a third of the sauce and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Serve in squares with more sauce and ice cream (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Lake District, England, United Kingdom · Origin disputedPopularised in the Lake District in the 1970s; several places claim its invention.Also popular in Ireland, Canada, AustraliaMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Dessert · Desserts · Cakes
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Simmered
Taste
sweet, rich, buttery
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Dates · Brown sugar · Heavy cream · Baking soda · Butter · Egg
Techniques
Baking · Boiling · Simmering · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, heavy cream, vanilla ice cream
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg, vanilla ice cream
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

566 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 180 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 4%
  • Carbohydrate 49%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy566 kcal314 kcal
Protein5.3 g3 g
Carbohydrate71.1 g39.5 g
Net carbohydrate69 g38.4 g
Sugars52 g28.9 g
Added sugars36.4 g20.2 g
Fibre2.1 g1.1 g
Fat30.5 g16.9 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat——
Cholesterol——
Sodium470 mg261 mg
Salt equivalent1.2 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
279 mg
Calcium
117 mg
Iron
1.8 mg
Magnesium
25 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
300 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.8 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
75 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: vanilla ice cream.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The sponge and sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated together.

Common mistakes

  • Overbaking dries the sponge; take it out as soon as a skewer comes out clean.

Serve with

  • Serve with vanilla ice cream, pouring cream or custard.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze sponge and sauce separately for 1 month.

Reheating

  • Reheat portions covered in the microwave or oven until hot; warm the sauce separately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4, 5

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Rest · about 10 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 30 min at 180 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 5 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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