Description
Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding is a rich and indulgent British dessert featuring a moist chocolate and date cake drenched in a luscious homemade chocolate toffee sauce. This recipe combines the natural sweetness of Medjool dates with dark cocoa and a creamy sauce for an irresistible treat perfect for special occasions or cozy nights in.
Ingredients
Scale
Date Pudding
- 300 ml whole milk
- 300 g pitted slightly chopped dates (Medjool dates preferred)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 80 ml hot water
- 150 g unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g soft dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 140 g plain flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Toffee Sauce
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g soft dark brown sugar
- 120 g dark chocolate
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 450 ml double cream
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease an 8-inch square cake tin to prepare for baking.
- Prepare Date Mixture: In a pot, bring the milk to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped dates and baking soda. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes to soften the dates.
- Blend Date Mixture: Use a food processor to blend the softened date mixture until smooth. If unavailable, mash the dates thoroughly with a fork.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and hot water until smooth and combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the softened butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the cocoa mixture. Beat for 5 minutes until creamy. Then stir in the blended date mixture and eggs until fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together plain flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, whisking until smooth and even.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, indicating it is fully baked.
- Make Chocolate Sauce: While the cake bakes, melt butter, brown sugar, dark chocolate, vanilla extract, and salt together in a pot over medium heat. Stir until smooth, then add double cream and continue heating while stirring until fully combined into a silky sauce.
- Serve: Pour half of the chocolate sauce over the warm cake and let it soak for 30 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce and optionally a scoop of ice cream for an enhanced dessert experience.
Notes
- Using Medjool dates adds natural sweetness and softness to the pudding but any pitted dates will work.
- Letting the date mixture sit after boiling the milk helps soften the dates for smoother blending.
- You can mash the dates by hand if no food processor is available, but blending gives a smoother texture.
- Make sure the cake is fully cooled before slicing for neat servings.
- The sauce can be reheated gently if needed before serving.
- Serving with vanilla ice cream complements the warm sticky toffee pudding beautifully.
