Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding

Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding is an indulgent, moist, date-infused sponge cake and covered in a rich toffee sauce.  It’s an impressive dessert that’s easy to make.  It’s sure to become a family favorite.

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Plate of Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding that's baked in a mold and garnished with homemade toffee sauce.

How many times have you sung “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and wondered what ‘figgy pudding’ was?  Well, figgy pudding is another name for an Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding.  

It isn’t a pudding as much as a dense, moist, date cake that’s amazing.  But the best part of the dessert is the warm, buttery, toffee sauce.  I could eat it by the spoonful.  

History Of An Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding

This dish dates back to the 1940s when 2 Canadian air force officers passed on the recipe to a hotel owner, Mrs. Martin of Thee Old Rectory, in Claughton, Lancashire.  

The recipe was passed to Francis Coulson, owner of the Sharrow Bay Hotel who added the dessert to his menu in the 1960s.

It has become a holiday favorite and is often served in Gastropubs throughout Great Britain.

Plate of Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding that's baked in a mold and garnished with homemade toffee sauce.

Ingredients Needed

  • Dates – if you can’t find dates, prunes also work.  Be sure to take the pits out of the dates before chopping them.
  • Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt – all the necessary ingredients in a cake recipe.
  • Butter – use unsalted and make sure it’s room temperature.
  • Dark brown sugar – gives a bit of a caramel flavor.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vanilla
  • Eggs – use large eggs, room temperature
  • Heavy cream – gives the sauce both richness and thickens it.
  • Brandy – I used Hennesy, but if you don’t like or have brandy, you can use rum or bourbon.  

Steps In Making This Recipe

  1.  Reconstitute the dates by boiling them in water.  Add baking soda to the mixture and allow to cool.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
  3. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the eggs.
  5. Add in half of the date mixture, then half of the flour mixture.  Mix well and repeat with the other half of each.
  6. Pour the batter into a buttered cake pan and bake.
  7. While the cake is baking, make the sauce by melting the butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar together.  Cook for 3 minutes.
  8. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the brandy and vanilla.
  9. Cut the warm cake and place the slices onto dessert plates.  Top each slice with sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

Plate of Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding that's baked in a mold and garnished with homemade toffee sauce.

I love to serve this dessert as a sweet finish to an elegant Christmas dinner. Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Elegant Dutchess Potatoes, and Sauteed Green Peas make up the menu for a Christmas meal fit for a king.

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Plate of Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding that's baked in a mold and garnished with homemade toffee sauce.

Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding


Description

Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding is an indulgent, moist, date-infused sponge cake and covered in a rich toffee sauce.  It’s an impressive dessert that’s easy to make.  It’s sure to become a family favorite.


Ingredients

Scale

For the pudding:

  • 1 ½ cups chopped pitted dates (6-ounce package)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature

For the sauce:

  • 1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon brandy
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped cream for serving


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Liberally butter and flour a Panettone pan, a Sticky Toffee Pan, or a Bundt pan.  Set aside.

In a saucepan over high heat, bring the dates and 1 ¼ cups water to a boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in baking soda.  The mixture will become foamy.  Keep stirring to prevent it from overflowing.  Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until well incorporated. The mixture will look grainy.  Add the vanilla and mix well.

Add 1 egg and beat until blended.

Spoon in half of the flour mixture and half of the date mixture.  Mix until blended.

Repeat with the other egg and remaining flour mixture and date mixture.

Mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Invert the cake onto the rack.  Cover and allow to stand at room temperature while you make the sauce.

Make the sauce:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, cream, and butter.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until the butter melts and the mixture is fully combined.

Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy and vanilla.

To serve, slice the cake into 6 wedges.  Place a wedge on a dessert plate and spoon the warm sauce over top of the cake serving.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: British

Keywords: Old English Sticky Toffee Pudding, vintage recipes, Christmas desserts, desserts, bundt cakes, figgy pudding

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