This chocolate sticky toffee pudding is an incredibly fudgy and moist cake, drenched in a warm and decadent chocolate toffee sauce.
This cake is truly a chocolate lover's dream and deliciously indulgent. It's a spin on the classic British sticky toffee pudding and I dare say, it might just be better than the original.
The cake itself is sweetened with dates and uses Dutch cocoa powder to give it the deep chocolatey flavour. Instead of the regular toffee sauce, this cake is drenched in a luscious, warm chocolate toffee sauce made with dark chocolate.
If you enjoyed this recipe, I know you'll love this amazing Chai Sticky Toffee Pudding, these Fudgy Brownie Cookies, this classic Texas Sheet Cake and this Rich Chocolate Cake.
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What is a Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a classic British dessert. It originated in the United Kingdom in the 1900's (exact origins are disputed). Despite it's name, it's actually a soft cake. The word 'pudding' is synonymous with 'dessert in the UK, hence the name of the dessert.
Sticky toffee pudding is basically a soft cake, smothered with a caramel/toffee sauce. It's moist, fudgy and cozy. The dates add a wonderful rich depth that's absolutely unmatched. They both sweeten and moisten the cake, so there isn't really a substitute for it.
Ingredients
- Medjool dates
- Milk
- Baking soda
- Dutch cocoa powder
- Instant coffee powder
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Heavy cream (whipping cream)
- Dark chocolate
See recipe card BELOW for ingredient quantities.
The dates
This recipe calls for Medjool dates. I prefer these over other varieties because they're soft, moist—adding both sweetness and moisture to the cake. They're easier to soak and mush up into a paste-like consistency that blends into the batter really well. I highly highly recommend using these dates!
Making the chocolate sauce
The toffee sauce couldn’t be any easier to make.
I recommend making it while the cake is baking. Just combine the butter, brown sugar, dark chocolate, heavy cream and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Cook it over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes or until it starts to thicken up. It'll thicken more as it cools down.
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Chop up the dates and mix in the baking soda, instant coffee powder and Dutch cocoa powder.
- Heat up the milk in a small saucepan until it's almost simmering. Pour the hot milk over the dates, covering them. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or until softened.
- Beat together the butter and brown sugar in a separate bowl until light and airy. Crack in the eggs and beat until combined. Add in the vanilla extract.
- Mash up the softened dates using a blender, immersion blender or a muddler.
- Add the dates to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Gently mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined—making sure not to over-mix it.
- Pour the batter into an 8x8 pan, lined with parchment paper and even it out. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
- Make the chocolate toffee syrup while the cake is baking
- Let the cake cool down for about 30 minutes and poke holes with a chopstick or a fork. Pour the warm toffee sauce all over the cake. Leave some aside to drizzle over slices when serving.
Storage
Let the date cake cool down and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Top tips to make this cake
- Room temperature ingredients: Having the eggs at room temperature helps everything incorporate together easily, making the final product evenly textured.
- Once you add the eggs and dates: It'll look curdled but don't worry. You may think something went wrong but don't worry! It'll come together once you add in the dry ingredients
- Don't over-mix the batter: Once you add in the flour, only mix until the batter is just combined. Over-mixing will result in a dense and chewy cake.
- Pouring the toffee sauce on the cake: I like to poke holes with a chopstick because the holes are bigger which helps the toffee sauce really get into the cake.
FAQ
I recommend using Medjool dates because of their flavour and how soft they are. You want dates that are on the softer side, which helps make the cake moist. If you have soft dates, you can use those.
Yes! Bake it as usual and cover with half of the toffee sauce. Let it cool and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. About 2-3 days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed. Pour over more of the sauce and serve!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
- 9 oz Medjool dates, washed and de-seeded (weighed after de-seeding)
- 1 cup whole milk (240ml)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (112g)
- 6 tablespoon brown sugar (75g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Dutch cocoa powder (27g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (138g)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Toffee Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56g)
- 275 ml heavy cream (285g)
- 1 cup brown sugar (200g)
- 4.5 oz dark chocolate
- pinch salt
Instructions
Chocolate Toffee Sauce
- Add the brown sugar, butter, cream, chocolate and salt to a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium high heat and then cook for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally until it thickens up. It will thicken more as it cools. Set aside.¼ cup unsalted butter, 275 ml heavy cream, 1 cup brown sugar, 4.5 oz dark chocolate, pinch salt
Making the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F° and line your 8x8 square pan with parchment paper.
- Chop up the dates and place them in a bowl.9 oz Medjool dates, washed and de-seeded
- Heat up the milk in a small saucepan until it's almost simmering.1 cup whole milk
- Sprinkle the dates with baking soda, instant coffee, dutch cocoa powder and cover with the hot milk. Make sure the dates are submerged. Let that sit for about 15 minutes to soften. Now you can blend this in a food processor/blender or use a muddler to mash up the dates well.¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon instant coffee powder, ⅓ cup Dutch cocoa powder
- In another bowl, beat together the brown sugar and butter for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, softened, 6 tablespoon brown sugar
- Crack in the eggs and beat until it’s well incorporated. Then add the vanilla and the mushed dates and beat well.2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Then add in the flour, salt and baking powder and gently beat it for a little bit, just until it almost comes together. Then use a spatula to mix it all together until combined.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- In a lined 8x8 square pan, spread the batter evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Take the cake out and let it cool for about 30 minutes and then poke some holes with a fork. Drizzle over the chocolate caramel sauce. Cut and serve with additional sauce and a scoop of ice cream if you prefer.
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