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Home Quick and Easy

Sticky Date Pudding

By Nagi Maehashi
497 Comments
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Published13 Jul '18 Updated11 May '25
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Sticky Date Pudding – you’re my favourite and always will be. Also known as Sticky Toffee Pudding, the simple trick that makes all the difference is to pour some Butterscotch Sauce over the warm cake when it comes out of the oven. It makes it ultra moist and gives it that intense dark colour. Plus, more sauce to serve, of course!

Butterscotch Sauce being poured over Sticky Toffee Pudding on a white plate, ready to be eaten

Sticky Date Pudding – a childhood favourite!

Who else has childhood memories of Sara Lee frozen Sticky Date Pudding??

It is the only store bought dessert my mother ever bought – and only on special occasions. And as much as I loved it, my one gripe was always that there was not enough Butterscotch Sauce to go around.

Never fear. You won’t have that problem with this recipe! 😂

I know this recipe is called Sticky Toffee Pudding by most of the world – other than Australia and New Zealand it seems. And given that dates are the key ingredient in the pudding, I would say we’ve got it right for this one!!

Dates being mashed for Sticky Date Pudding

Dates are key

I am pretty sure this is the only recipe I use dates for. And I realise that the photo above of the date sludge may look thoroughly unappetising to some people, but rest assured even if you’re a date hater that you can’t taste it in the end result.

The dates contribute to the stickiness and moistness of the sponge, as well as giving it colour. Don’t ask me for a sub! (Oh wait, you can. Prunes. Pretty much the same thing! 😂)

Individual puddings – or a large one for sharing

I think it’s more common here in Australia to make one pudding cake that is then cut to serve. Sara Lee frozen dessert style. Whereas in the UK it seems more common to make individual puddings.

I might be wrong here. But either way will work fine, and I’ve provided cook times and directions for both.

Sticky Date Pudding with butterscotch sauce being poured over
Preparation of individual Sticky Toffee Puddings

Secret tip: Douse hot pudding with sauce

If you’ve ever made one of those cakes that you douse with syrup, you’ll know exactly what you’re in for with this trick!

It goes like this – as soon as the pudding comes out of the oven, poke lots of holes using a skewer (I find this strangely satisfying but let’s not read too much into this), then pour over some hot butterscotch sauce.

This makes the pudding intensely moist as well as staining the sponge to give it that signature dark brown colour, rather than being a pale golden colour which many sticky toffee pudding recipes are.

Warm butterscotch sauce being poured over Sticky Date Pudding topped with ice cream

It also means this pudding keeps for days and days in the fridge and once reheated, it’s just like it’s fresh out of the oven.

The only question is – will you serve yours with cream or ice cream? I’m an ice cream gal, all the way!! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Butterscotch Sauce being poured over Sticky Toffee Pudding on a white plate, ready to be eaten

Sticky Date Pudding

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 35 minutes mins
Total: 50 minutes mins
Dessert
4.94 from 166 votes
Servings7 – 9 people
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Recipe video above. You’re my favourite pudding – and always will be…. My favourite part is poking holes in the pudding and pouring over the hot butterscotch sauce so it soaks in, making it so ultra moist… And then of course serving it with even more sauce! 

Ingredients

  • 280g / 9 oz pitted dates , roughly chopped (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp baking soda / bi carb soda
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
  • 80g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
  • 2 eggs , at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Butterscotch Sauce:

  • 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed
  • 1 1/2 cups thickened cream (heavy cream)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 70g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter

Serving:

  • Ice cream or dolloping cream
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
  • Grease 7 pudding moulds (Note 2) with butter or grease and line a 20 cm / 8″ square cake pan with overhang.

Mashed Dates:

  • Place dates in a bowl, sprinkle over baking soda. Pour over boiling water. Stand 10 minutes, then mash well with a potato masher (or fork) until it resembles sloppy porridge (see video for texture / thickness). (Note 3)

Batter:

  • Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined and smooth.
  • Add eggs, beat until incorporated.
  • Add flour then sprinkle baking powder across the surface. Mix until flour is incorporated.
  • Add dates, mix quickly until dates are well incorporated into the batter. (Note 2) Follow directions to make one pudding or individual ones.

One Pudding:

  • Pour into cake pan, smooth surface. Bake 35 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  • While still hot, poke about 40 holes all over the surface using a skewer. Pour over 1/2 cup Butterscotch Sauce, leave to soak for 10 minutes.
  • Use overhang to lift cake out. Cut, serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.

Baking Individual Puddings:

  • Pour batter into pudding moulds, only fill 2/3 of the way up.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  • While still hot, poke about 10 holes on the surface of the pudding. Spoon over 1 tbsp of Butterscotch Sauce per Pudding. Leave to soak 10 minutes.
  • Turn pudding moulds upside down on serving plate. Serve warm with remaining warm sauce and ice cream or cream.

Butterscotch Sauce:

  • Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, stir, then bring to simmer.
  • Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once, then remove from heat. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes:

1. Dates sub: Prunes can also be used but change as follows: Use 1 1/4 cups boiling water, simmer with prunes in saucepan for 10 minutes. Remove form heat, stir through bicarb, cool then mash per recipe. Proceed with recipe.
2. Moulds: My pudding moulds are 210ml 5 x 8 cm. Any size is fine, just fill 2/3 of the way up – need a bit of room for the sauce to pool around the edges. Large muffin tins will also work. If using standard muffin tins, just pour the sauce over a bit at a time, giving it time to soak in. Makes 12 standard muffins – they aren’t as tall as pictured.
3. This gives the pudding its dark brown colour. Unless you mash well and mix well into the batter, the cake ends up a pale golden colour with splotches of dates.
4. General notes:
– This recipe probably makes more sauce than you need – but it’s better to err on the side of caution!
– An electric beater will make your life easier but a whisk + wooden spoon will work fine too without exerting yourself too much. Just make sure your butter is well softened and easy to mix by hand.
– Poking holes into the pudding and pouring the sauce over to soak stains the pudding sponge a darker colour as well as adding more moisture into the pudding.
– Sticky Date Pudding is indulgent and very sweet, from both the dates + sugar in sauce. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, this dessert is not for you! To reduce sweetness, you can skimp on the sauce. Or make a lighter, less sweet sauce as follows: Use half the sugar, butter and cream, make per recipe. When it simmers, add 1 cup low fat milk, then 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water. Simmer to thicken. 
4. Make Ahead: Exceptional for reheating because it’s so moist. Poke the holes and soak with sauce, reserve remaining sauce for serving. Best way to reheat is in the microwave because it keeps the pudding moist.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 9 servings and that all Sauce is consumed, which it may not be. I like to ensure there is enough Sauce because running out is a disaster. Nutrition for 7 individual puddings is 703 calories per serving. They are very generous sizes with loads of sauce (because the sauce recipe makes enough for 9 servings for the pudding cake), so when I scale the Sauce down by 20%, it reduces to 606 calories. Calories per serve for lightened up sauce (see Less Sweet Sauce above) is 477 calories.
Keywords: Sticky Date Pudding
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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Life of Dozer

If you look real close on the right side, you’ll see the tiniest glimpse of my hand as I desperately tried to hold Dozer back from doing a face plant into the Pupcakes…..

Dozer the golden retriever eyeing off doggy cupcakes - for RSPCA Cupcake Day
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497 Comments

  1. janis says

    July 14, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Can we freeze these?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:55 pm

      I haven’t tried but am 99% sure it will be 100% perfect 🙂 Especially given how moist the puddings are! N c

      Reply
  2. Dorothy Dunton says

    July 14, 2018 at 11:16 am

    Hi Nagi! I love dates and this looks amazing! I would forego dinner and just have this. I know both ways are equally good, but the individual puddings are so much sexier! 🙂 I know I’ve been offline for a long time, but I’m coming back.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:57 pm

      Dorotheeeeeeee!!! It is so nice to see you back 🙂 You’ve been missed! Kev and I spoke of you when we spent some time together a couple of months back in Utah! N xx

      Reply
  3. Vera G says

    July 14, 2018 at 10:40 am

    Yum, yum! NOT sure when IT WAS last time I Made one……. DOZER is picture PERFECT! HIS eyes ARE price less. Nagi, good on YOU for helping RSPCA. True NOT ALL animals ARE taken care OF. HAVE good W/End!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:57 pm

      Hope you had a great one too Vera! N x

      Reply
  4. Jenine says

    July 14, 2018 at 6:11 am

    5 stars
    Thank you Nagi can’t wait to make this!!!!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:57 pm

      Hope you get a chance to Jenine! It’s so crazy good…..

      Reply
  5. Wendy says

    July 14, 2018 at 4:29 am

    5 stars
    As I lived in Oz for 30 years before returning to my native Canada, I am well-acquainted with Sticky Date Pudding. It’s one of my favourite desserts. I have recipes for it from Geoff Jansz, Stephanie Alexander, Karen Martini,and other Australian cooks/chefs and as I love to bake I will add this one to my list. It’ll be the next one I try. Thanks Nagi. PS I love serving it with the thick cream that is 48% butterfat. Unfortunately I can’t get it here.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:58 pm

      48%!!! 🙀. 😂

      Reply
      • Wendy says

        July 16, 2018 at 8:18 pm

        Yes. King Island Dairy makes it. You can stand a spoon up in it. Definitely not an every day food!

        Reply
  6. Wynn says

    July 14, 2018 at 4:22 am

    I had vowed I’d never make sticky pudding again, because I’d not been particularly thrilled with the results I’d gotten with the other recipes I’ve tried before, but when the weather is cool here, I’ll definitely be giving your recipe a spin, because I know you are picky about desserts and have high standards concerning results! So, that’s one vow all shot to he** for me! 🙂

    Shame on Sara Lee for cheating the US of their version of those! I also like desserts with a pronounced date taste, like oatmeal date bars, and there used to even be a very tasty boxed mix for those here, but that was discontinued 15-18 yrs. ago, and maybe it’s just as well since commercial box mixes for virtually Everything have become rather inedible, tasting of chemicals and artificial flavorings. Those used to be so good that when I’d been a teenager we’d had to take stringent measures to guard cooling yellow box cakes from a 22 lb. big black rescue cat we’d had, or he’d eat a big hole in the center of a 9×13″ pan of yellow cake if he got the chance, and when the boxed cake mixes got changed, he no longer would eat it, either! When your dog or cat won’t touch something they’d previously been bonkers about–you know it’s become Really Bad!

    Poor Dozer! I’d want to face plant those cupcakes, too! Hope the fundraising is a spectacular success!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:59 pm

      Sara Lee doesn’t do sticky toffee???? Shame on them! 😂

      Reply
  7. Gail says

    July 14, 2018 at 3:35 am

    OMG! Nagi this is a sinful recipe which I must have!😂😂
    Shhh! No staple can hold you back missy 😎😂

    Yep, I can tell how much Dozer loves dem cupcakes 😂😂 Too cute ..
    Happy about the RSPCA cause, it’s always nice to know that the less fortunate animals are being helped, even adopted. 😊
    Hugs …

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:59 pm

      It is so so sinful Gail….. probably the sweetest dessert I have on my blog! But it’s SO WORTH IT!!!

      Reply
  8. Christine says

    July 14, 2018 at 3:06 am

    Nagi, I think that’s the best pic I’ve seen of Dozer yet. Those eyes!! I can’t stop laughing!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      Crazy dog eyes!!! 😂

      Reply
  9. Kelly | Foodtasia says

    July 14, 2018 at 2:45 am

    This looks so delicious! I’m drooling!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      Thanks Kelly!! N x

      Reply
  10. Elizabeth Henkel says

    July 14, 2018 at 2:12 am

    So this is one of my favorite desserts, but I have only eaten it at a restaurant. Can’t wait to make this at home!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      Hope you get a chance Elizabeth! N x

      Reply
  11. Lillian says

    July 14, 2018 at 12:55 am

    Hey Nagi!

    I also wanted to say that raisins (pour boiling water over them, let them plump up, drain + blend in food processor to form a smooth paste) are also a great sub for dates. Plus, just like dates raisin paste is very sweet! I used it in place of dates all the time because really dates are expensive and also a snack I like to eat whole! Hope that tip is helpful to you + your readers! I’ve saved the cake to my boards and it looks delish!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:01 pm

      Lillian! YOU ROCK! Thank you so much for that 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  12. Layla Atik says

    July 14, 2018 at 12:19 am

    This looks amazing! I make a similar middle eastern date cake without the caramel sauce but now I will have to try this for sure!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Oooh! I get that’s amazing!

      Reply
  13. Bette says

    July 14, 2018 at 12:09 am

    Wow! Can I just say, this dessert is completely unheard of in the States. We have Sara Lee but no sticky pudding. We don’t even know what a sticky pudding is! But, I’m convinced I would love it. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Woah! No sticky toffee pudding?? I thought that was quite well known in the States! N xx

      Reply
    • Wynn says

      July 14, 2018 at 3:43 am

      Some American catalog companies do sell this in the US, especially around the holidays. Of course, it costs the moon for a tiny 6 or 7″ one, but the ones I’ve gotten have had plenty of sauce, at least. I’m feeling incredibly cheated by Sara Lee, though, that they’ve never offered this in the states! I don’t know about where you are, but where I am the stores offer hardly anything anymore in the way of frozen ready-made desserts of decent quality anymore, and the selections of Sara Lee frozen desserts have become very minimal also, only the same 2 or 3 products at every store. I really miss the greater variety and selections that used to be widely available!

      Reply
  14. Dahn says

    July 14, 2018 at 12:03 am

    5 stars
    Oh, that sauce! I can never get enough. I make this every year around Christmas time and it is a killer for my waistline! It’s one of those desserts that I just have no self-control over. And I serve mine with ice-cream. I think that’ just the American way. My sister-in-law is Irish and she thinks it is very odd that Americans serve ice-cream with other desserts. I say ‘the more the better” lol

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Same here! Normally I can’t eat desserts this sweet, this is the one exception!!

      Reply
  15. Wanda says

    July 13, 2018 at 7:45 pm

    Didn’t think I would enjoy this dessert until I tried a frozen premade one. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee! Definitely not my first choice for sweets, but I definitely need to make this. I’ll just add it to my list which includes your self saucing chocolate pudding and baked apples!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 13, 2018 at 10:05 pm

      I hope you do give this a go Wanda! It’s pretty fab! 🙂 N x

      Reply
      • Gaia says

        July 14, 2018 at 2:23 am

        Nagi, thanks for this Yummy Sticky Date Pudding…my fav. kind of dessert, especially because I love dates…(always have a supply on hand to substitute my chocolate cravings and sweets in general.

        At xmas time we (Canada) make a Plum Pudding w/raisins nuts, dried fruit smothered in a white sweet sauce (hard sauce } I am always unsure of the sauce so this recipe/sauce is more appealing. I will be making it soon …not waiting for xmas to make it.

        Gaia

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          July 16, 2018 at 8:01 pm

          Oooh that sounds amazing Gaia! I’m still working on my Christmas Pudding… I hope I can get there by Christmas this year! N xx

          Reply
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