Best sticky toffee pudding cake recipe! This super moist cake is made with brown sugar and dates and has a rich toffee sauce on top for the ultimate dessert!
I love sticky toffee pudding cake, and I look forward to making this cake each year around the holidays.
If you’ve never tried it, sticky toffee pudding cake is a super moist cake that is topped with a rich, buttery toffee sauce. All of which makes for an incredibly decadent dessert.
Give it a try, and it may become a holiday tradition at your house, too!
How to make sticky toffee pudding cake
To make the cake, stir the dates, baking soda, and boiling water together in a large heat-proof bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.
Add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the date mixture. Mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. The batter may look curdled.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in on low for 1 minute, or just until combined, scraping the sides as needed.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Set the cake in the pan on a wire cooling rack while you make the sauce.
To make the toffee sauce, add the brown sugar, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
Whisk in the vanilla. Let the sauce stand for 5-10 minutes to thicken before using.
Poke small holes over the top of the cake. I like to use a bamboo skewer.
Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the top of the warm cake. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Serve the warm cake topped with the remaining sauce.
Tips
Tips- Dates – Mejool dates are usually recommended for use in this cake. I’ve also used deglet noor dates, and they worked out well.
- Chopping the dates: Since dates are sticky, they can be difficult to chop. You can give the blade of your knife a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray to help with that. Also, I like little bits of date in the cake, so I don’t chop my dates superfine. If you don’t like that, be sure to finely chop the dates.
- Brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will give the cake and the sauce a richer toffee flavor.
- Butter: I prefer using salted butter in this recipe. However, you can use unsalted if you like.
Serving suggestions
Serving suggestionsThe cake is great served warm with the sauce drizzled on top. I do recommend drizzling the sauce onto each piece as you cut it so that you can store the extra sauce and extra cake separately.
I reheat the cake and sauce before serving the leftovers. You can also serve the cake with a dollop of sweetened (or unsweeted) whipped cream.
Storage
I recommend storing the extra sauce covered in the fridge. The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.
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Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 8 ounces pitted dates (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 6 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Toffee Sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the cake, stir the dates, baking soda, and boiling water together in a large heat-proof bowl.
- Let stand for 30 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature.
- Toward the end of the cooling time, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease and flour a 9x9-inch metal baking dish. Set aside.
- Add the brown sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the date mixture.
- Mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. The batter may look curdled.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix in on low for 1 minute, or just until combined, scraping the sides as needed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. You don't want wet batter. There should just be a couple moist crumbs.
- Set the cake in the pan on a wire cooling rack while you make the sauce.
- To make the toffee sauce, add the brown sugar, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the vanilla.
- Let the sauce stand for 5-10 minutes to thicken before using.
- Poke small holes over the top of the cake. I like to use a bamboo skewer.
- Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the top of the warm cake.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
- Serve the warm cake topped with the remaining sauce.
Notes
- Dates - Mejool dates are usually recommended for use in this cake. I've also used deglet noor dates, and they worked out well.
- Chopping the dates: Since dates are sticky, they can be difficult to chop. You can give the blade of your knife a quick spritz of nonstick cooking spray to help with that.
- Brown sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will give the cake and the sauce a richer toffee flavor.
- Butter: I prefer using salted butter in this recipe. However, you can use unsalted if you like.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition Information
Originally published 6/19/12. Updated with new photos, tips, and information on 11/25/20.
Jitka Szabó says
Is there any way I could find the original recipe with greek yoghurt and half-and-half? I wanted to make this for Christmas, and was heartbroken to find it updated. Not so light anymore…
Kate says
Here is the lighter version:
Sauce
▢1/4 c . butter
▢1/2 c . brown sugar (, packed)
▢1/4 c . fat-free half and half
▢1 tsp . vanilla extract
CAKE
▢1 c . dates (, pitted and chopped)
▢2 tsp . baking soda
▢1/4 c . vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt
▢
1/3 c . granulated sugar
▢2 eggs
▢1/2 tsp . vanilla extract
▢1 ¼ c . all-purpose flour
▢1/2 tsp . salt
▢1 ½ T . baking powder
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sauce, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan.
Bring to boil, and then reduce to simmer gently for a minute or two until thickened and well combined.
Set sauce aside while you make the cakes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin (I like to use a nonstick spray that has flour in it).
Place the dates in large saucepan (you’ll need the room when you add the baking soda) with 1 ¾ cups cold water.
Bring to boil, stirring a little to break up the dates. Let dates simmer for 1 minute before removing from the heat.
Stir in the baking soda (which will cause the mixture to bubble up). Set aside.
Beat the yogurt and sugar together in a with an electric mixer (stand or hand) until well-combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time, occasionally scraping down mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
Add the flour and salt. Mix briefly – dough will be lumpy.
Next, add the warm date mixture. Scrape down the sides of bowl as needed. The dough will now be quite watery.
Add the baking powder (this will bubble up also).
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins, or pour into pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Run a thin knife around the cakes to loosen them, and then let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the cakes from pan.
Poke little holes all over the warm cake with a toothpick, and pour the sauce over cake.
Serve warm.
Roslyn Buffington says
Great recipe sticky. Toffee pudding buns!
Kate says
Thank you so much! =)
Jarree Toner says
Hi in sauce ingredients you have fat free half and half. What is this please? Thanks
Kate says
Fat-free half-and-half is a 0% fat version of half-and-half.
Sarah says
Never heard of half and half before – don’t have it in my country. What is it made of and is there a substitute you can recommend? Thanks
Kate says
Half and half is a mixture of part milk and part cream. You can mix equal parts milk and cream to make an easy substitute. Hope that helps!
Jasmin says
OMG Yum! I love sticky date recipes!
Thanks for Sharing :)
Jasmin
Kate says
Me too! =)
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
These puddings look so amazing! And the sauce seems incredibly luscious, I can’t wait to try it and pour it on like everything, not just these cakes! ;-) I’m sure it’d be superb with ice-cream or something!
kateheartseating says
Thanks!! The sauce is great with ice cream (and everything else)! =)
lori patterson says
i was wondering since i just joind this site will i or can i get this recipe sent to me to please i would hate to lose it please and thank you or is there a place where i can just hit folow ?
kateheartseating says
Yes, there are several ways that you can save the recipe. Under the recipe there is a picture, and under the picture, there is a row of buttons, including an email button and a print button. Using those buttons, you can email a link to the recipe to yourself or print it off.
If you would like to receive updates for new recipes, there is a place next to the recipe to enter your email address. Then, as new recipes are published, you will receive an email with a link to the new recipe.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Sarah says
This looks amazing! I was wondering if you could make this a day ahead and reheat it or wait to pour the warm sauce over it before serving?
kateheartseating says
I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. I’ve reheated the leftovers, and they still tasted good. So, I’d say go for it! =)
dianaramblesdotcom says
WOW! This looks amazing and I want some NOW!!!! Seriously! It looks so gooey & yummy!
kateheartseating says
Thanks!! Thanks for hosting each week and for stopping by to comment =).
Danielle says
We just moved back to the states from England this summer. Sticky Toffee pudding is my absolute favorite and I have missed it! Can’t wait to try this!
WordPress.com Support says
It’s one of my favorites, too! I hope you enjoy this recipe!!