Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding (Printable Format)

Moist date sponge soaked in rich buttery toffee sauce, served warm with vanilla ice cream or cream.

# What You Need:

→ Sponge

01 - 7 oz pitted dates, chopped
02 - 1 cup boiling water
03 - 1 tsp baking soda
04 - 7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
08 - 1 2/3 cups self-raising flour
09 - 1/2 tsp salt

→ Toffee Sauce

10 - 5 1/4 tbsp unsalted butter
11 - 1 cup dark brown sugar
12 - 1 cup double cream
13 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt

→ To Serve (optional)

15 - Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x12 inch baking dish or 8 ramekins.
02 - Place chopped dates in a bowl. Pour boiling water over and stir in baking soda. Let stand for 10 minutes.
03 - In a large bowl, cream softened butter with dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract.
04 - Mash softened dates with their liquid into a rough paste, then fold into the butter mixture.
05 - Sift self-raising flour and salt into the mixture. Gently fold to combine without overmixing.
06 - Pour batter into prepared dish or divide among ramekins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - While sponge bakes, melt butter and dark brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cream, vanilla, and salt. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
08 - Once baked, pierce sponge top with a skewer. Pour half the toffee sauce over warm sponge and let soak for 10 minutes.
09 - Drizzle remaining toffee sauce over sponge. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The sponge stays impossibly moist for days, soaking up toffee sauce like a dream.
  • It tastes fancy but comes together with everyday ingredients and honest effort.
  • Serving it warm turns any dinner into an occasion people remember.
02 -
  • Don't panic when the date mixture looks soupy, it transforms into a moist sponge in the oven.
  • Poking holes before adding sauce is essential, without them the toffee just pools on top.
  • The toffee sauce thickens as it cools, so pour it while it's still warm and pourable.
03 -
  • Use Medjool dates if you can find them, they're sweeter and break down into the smoothest paste.
  • Simmering the toffee sauce for an extra minute makes it thicker and clings better to the pudding.
  • Always taste your sauce before serving, a tiny pinch more salt can make the sweetness sing.

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