Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce
Cartmel-style Sticky Toffee Pudding is a modern British classic recipe featuring loads of sticky dates and a wonderfully silky caramel sauce.
Making this rib-sticking good pudding takes a couple of hours, but you can make this a couple of days in advance and reheat it very easily!
A Modern British Classic
First of all, I cannot claim this recipe in any way, shape, or form, and I can’t really attribute it to anyone either. That is because it was scribbled on a piece of paper stuffed in the back of a cookery book I bought at a second-hand store.
However, it is a recipe like many of mine, born out of memories. When I married my wife, we kinda ran away to Gretna Green with a small group of friends and family.
We threw our wedding reception for a couple of hundred people the week after.
On the way home, we made a pitstop and spent a few days staying in a cottage right opposite the Cartmel village shop. The spiritual home of sticky toffee pudding.
Many assume this recipe to be far older than it actually is. It was originally developed in 70's by Francis Coulson.
I love it because it reminds me of childhood, just like my other favourite desserts, baked rice pudding and Bakewell tart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is black treacle?
This question is often asked by US visitors. It is similar to blackstrap molasses, and if you don't want to go hunting for treacle, then that is your best substitution option.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, once this is baked, it will store in the fridge for 4-5 days. To reheat it, cover with foil and place it in an oven at 180°C or 350°F for 15 minutes.
Can I freeze sticky toffee pudding?
The good news is that it freezes wonderfully. I cut it into 6 equal pieces and place them in those disposable foil oven trays.
I pour over a little sauce and then freeze. To reheat, simply place in an oven covered with foil at 150°C or 300°F for 40-50 minutes.
Can I reheat this in the microwave?
Yes, if it is not frozen, reheat it at full power for 40-60 seconds (850W) and let it sit for 2 minutes. If it is frozen, heat for 2½ minutes in 30-second bursts and allow it to sit for 2 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Aside from the caramel sauce that I have mentioned, I think that there are two solid options for serving with sticky toffee pudding.
The first, and my favourite, is vanilla ice cream, especially if you are serving the caramel sauce hot!
The second is my wife's favourite (she has no taste, she married me after all), and that's a proper British custard.
You could, of course, go for some pouring cream, clotted cream, or even chantilly cream, but give ice cream or custard a go first!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven.
- Hob/sStovetop.
- 25cm x 18cm or 10" x 7" baking tray, you could use a disposable foil tin.
- Tin foil. Not required if you are using a disposable tin.
- Mixing bowls.
- Spatula.
- An electric hand beater, but you can do this by hand or in a stand mixer.
- Kettle to boil water.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pudding
- 250 g Dates 1 Cup
- 175 ml Boiling water ¾ Cup
- 1 Vanilla Pod
- 100 g Softened Butter ¼ Cup + 3 tablespoon
- 150 g Muscovado Sugar ¾ Cup
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tablespoon Black Treacle
- 100 ml Full Fat Milk ⅓ Cup + 1 tablespoon
- 175 g Plain Flour 1¼ Cup
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
For the Caramel Sauce
- 60 g Butter ¼ Cup
- 150 g Muscovado Sugar ¾ Cup
- 200 ml Double Cream ¾ Cup + 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon Black Treacle
Instructions
- Remove the stones, then roughly chop the dates and pour over the boiling water.
- Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and vanilla pod to the bowl with the dates and stir. Allow this mix to cool completely; this can take up to an hour.
- Remove the vanilla pod from the mix, then mash the dates with the back of a fork.
- Place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl and cream it with the sugar for the "cake". I like to do this with an electric hand mixer.
- Beat the eggs with the milk and add them to the softened butter and sugar mix, and beat until combined.
- Mix the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredient mix to the egg and butter mix a little at a time, stirring to just combine; take care not to overwork the dough.
- Finally, fold in the dates and black treacle.
- Line a baking tray (25cm x 18cm or 10" x 7") with baking parchment. You can also use a disposable foil tin. Then add the mix
- Add 1-1.5cm (½") of water to the base of a larger baking tray, then add your pudding and bake in the oven for 60-75 minutes at 180°C or 350°C.
- For the sauce, heat the butter, sugar and half of the cream over a medium-high heat in a 15cm or 6" saucepan until a sauce is achieved, stirring continuously.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the black treacle and the rest of the cream.
This recipe for Sticky Toffee pudding is as near to Cartmel sticky toffee pudding that you can get!
I made this for alternative Christmas pudding for 12 people last year and nobody touched traditional Christmas pudding .therewas not one morsel of this pudding left.
This year I am making again for 6 of us however I have 7 requests for this as a gift for family members, today cooking day for them.
The recipe is simple enough but to make it fo smoothly I do assemble everything first.
Looking forward to my Christmas lunch cooked by son-in-law I just provide dessert
Hi , please can you tell me if u add the water from the soaked dates also or do u drain them? Thank you, can't wait to try this .
Hi Christina... Sorry it took a while to respond, I have been away for a couple of days. The dates should soak up almost all of the liquid, if there is a thick sweet slurry add that, but if it is watery then discard 🙂
Enjoy
Hello.
The recipe does not state if LIGHT or DARK Muscavado sugar should be used. Anyone know?
Thanks
Hi... Muscavado sugar is a dark relatively unrefined sugar and until you posted your question and did some research I had no idea that some companies had started to reduce the "molasses" content in it to make create a lighter version.
I'll update my post to reflect this 🙂
Enjoy
Brian
I’m baking this in my oven right now ( in Victoria BC, Canada). I first tried Cartmel sticky toffee pudding while visiting friends in the UK in 2002, and loved it! Have had various versions of it here in restaurants and made by family but these versions haven’t been nearly as dark coloured as the original. Yours looks great and I am excited to serve it to my family on Christmas - I plan on freezing it, and hoping that it’s ok to make the sauce and freeze it with the sauce on, then simply defrost and reheat!
Sorry Sue you pinged me just as I tuned out from all things internetty and closed down for Christmas. Yes freezing is fine but I saw your comment on IG and I am so glad everything turned out delicious 😀
OMG this dessert is one of my top three all time favourites. So delicious.....so sweet.....just divine. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I would eat this for breakfast right now LOL!!!
One of my absolutely favourite desserts and your pictures are amazing Brian. This looks stunning ???
Those pictures are amazing! Looking at the ingredients this is definitely a really gooey sticky one and one of my husband's favourite. I'll have to try this but it will be custard sorry!
OMG this dessert is one of my top three all time favourites. So delicious.....so sweet.....just divine. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I would eat this for breakfast right now LOL!!!
Thanks Gloria... I have to say that I really don't think I could cope with all that sugar for breakfast though 😉
One of my absolutely favourite desserts and your pictures are amazing Brian. This looks stunning ???
Thanks Ramona 🙂
Those pictures are amazing! Looking at the ingredients this is definitely a really gooey sticky one and one of my husband's favourite. I'll have to try this but it will be custard sorry!
Ooooo goading me with you use of custard... Sullying my pudding 😀 😉 Just kidding, thanks for your kind words... Enjoy!
Hello, I was wondering if I can make this in individual pudding basins?
Btw, it’s really a winner! This recipe I mean.
Super easy to make too!
Thanks
Thanks Reem... You certainly could make this in individual pudding moulds although the cooking time will vary and as I have not done it I can't give you a steer. The biggest influence would be the depth of the mix and the diameter of the bowls, but you can keep an eye on it and test with a cocktail stick as you go, as you know the texture you are looking for it should not be too challenging.
Would love to hear how you get on, have fun!
Hi Brian. Really looking forward to making this for Christmas. Can u let me know how deep the baking 25cms x 18cms tray needs to be? I’ve got one that is 2cms, is this ok? Great blog and photos. My best, Colin
Hi Colin... 2 cm may be a little shallow, you will probably get the mix in there but there is a little rise in the cake as is bakes although not much, the pan I use is 5cm deep although it is 'overkill' in terms of depth. I hope you can find something that works for you and that you enjoy the pudding 😀
What a great site+an E Book !!!!
Thanks Carol
I am not seeing where the 2 tbs of treacle gets added in the pudding portion of the recipe. I am drooling for this so i don't want to get it wrong!
Thanks for spotting that Rylan, I am shocking at proof reading 😉 I have updated the recipe 🙂
When I think of the word "pudding" this is not what comes to mind... but boy does this look delish! Is that maybe because of the culture difference? I'm definitely going to have to make this ASAP!
Yes there are a whole host of things that British people refer to as 'pudding' that are both sweet and savoury... This dates back hundreds of years however pudding is typically a name for a sweet dish, although there are a few examples of savoury puddings that exist.
Yessss. I'm drooling over this picture. But I'm so confused over the fact that this is basically a brownie called a pudding haha. Welcome to the dessert side 😉
Haha, this is grounded in recipes that date back to the 18th century although this is baked rather than steamed as its forefathers would have been... I quite like the dessert side, just not too often, I'm still a savoury dude at heart 😉
Brian, I'm so impressed with your ability to come to the dark side so easily. 🙂 Sweets are fun to make, right!?
Cheers chap, this one was fun to make and not too stressful unlike some I have tried 😉
You have no idea the willpower it took not to make this recipe immediately. I've had this a few times, stooped to buying the store bought stuff once, and yet never tried to make it at home. It's so good. Perhaps one day I'll give this recipe a go, when I have company coming to eat it all with me so there are no leftovers and I don't reason that the dates make it an appropriate breakfast the next morning.
Teehee, I don't have much will power in most senses but can quickly get overwhelmed with sugar so I don't find it too difficult to set this aside... It freezes perfectly and it is almost better after defrosted and heated in the oven as the sauce that it is steeped in gets deeper and the crispy bits on the sides are to die for!
This is one of my favorite desserts. I consider it a winter dessert (though I'm not exactly sure why) and the pinnacle of comfort food desserts. I like to make mine with a layer of freshly-candied kumquats on the bottom. I don't serve it with any accompaniment besides the sauce, though. But at least that means no custard!
I'm with you on this being a winter dessert, despite the fact that I like it with ice cream... I love the hot and icey cold sweet combination, interesting idea to add more fruit to the bottom, may have to give that a try.
I can't even handle this right now. You're cooking all of the things I've been craving. Stop before I gain 100 pounds.
Haha, cook them all several times, I am releasing a diet book in summer* and need victims!
*This is a joke 😉
omg my absolute favorite, #1 dessert yuuuum! this looks so drippy and perfect. Want it now!
Teehee, glad you like!
Love the way you found this recipe! And glad you shared a dessert -- It looks amazing!!!
Cheers Whitney 🙂
Hi Brian, I came across this post from the Facebook FBC Recipe Sharing group. I am absolutely in love with your photography, especially the first photo with the hot steam and the sultry sauce. If you don't mind me asking, how did you take that photo? What where your camera settings?
Hi Lily... Glad you like my 'stuff' aint no secrets here so happy to share my process although my lighting set up is probably more relevant to the outcome of this shot rather than the camera settings. But here goes.
Camera: 50mm, F7.1, ISO 100, 1/100th
Lighting Single 60cm x 80cm softbox, 1.5m (ish) away from the source to the left and a little behind the subject. Large reflector to the right front to reflect back on to the front of the pudding.
Thank you so much for letting me know how you captured that amazing photo. Hugs:)
You are welcome 🙂
I love to read your blog Brian! This looks amazing, and this non sweet eating girl may just have to make it! Thanks for posting 🙂
Thanks Tamara, glad you like my wee corner of the interweb... I'm with you on not really having a sweet tooth, but on occasions I do like a little bit of a blow out and this certainly fills that category!
Now I'm going to have to make this because I can't get your awesome photo of that toffee and chocolate out of my head! I love the fact that you use Molasses - and the ice cream on top is such a bonus 🙂
Thanks Paige, it is one of those 'special' dishes I don't make too often but it is always a great hit when ever I do... I actually use black treacle which is a little different to molasses but has a very similar flavour and it adds that wonderful dark and bitter hint to the sponge and the toffee sauce 🙂 Enjoy!
I'm not sure what looks better, the pudding or the sauce. This is a very appealing dessert and a great photo.
Thanks Mark 🙂
Oh wow, this looks super decadent! All that stickiness and dripping - I'm totally drooling! I've heard of this classic dessert but never made it before and that must change. (Also, I'm with you on pairing it with ice cream.) YUM!
Thanks Kathryn, if a baking 'phobe' like me can cope with making this dish I am sure you will be fine, it really is exactly what it says on the side of the tin, sweet and sticky and a delight 😀
Everything about this looks amazing. I'm drooling! Can't wait to make this....more importantly, can't wait to eat this!!
Thanks Sarah, it certainly is an indulgent sticky sweet treat, hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Stunning photos! This pudding looks amazing and must be so delicious!
Thanks Daniela, it certainly is 🙂
I love love LOVE this, it looks awesome! Don't hate me, but I like both custard and ice cream on mine - there's no holding me back!
You did a good job shooting these quickly too, I'm impressed, the photos are gorgeous too
Thanks Michelle, I am reeling at the idea of custard AND ice cream a whole new subset of people that are quite frankly wrong teehee :p