Equipment
Ingredients
Date Paste
- 250 g medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
- 250 ml boiling water
- 5 g baking soda
Spiced Sponge
- 80 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 150 g dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 10 g fresh red chilli, finely minced
- 5 g ground ginger
- 175 g self-raising flour
- 2 g salt
Toffee Sauce
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 150 g dark brown sugar
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 2 g salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 573 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 78 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 58 g
- Sodium
- 693 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 18 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 123 mg
- Potassium
- 379 mg
- Calcium
- 147 mg
- Iron
- 2.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 39 mg
- Phosphorus
- 210 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 280 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.18 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.23 mg
- Niacin
- 1.8 mg
- Folate
- 71 mcg
- Water
- 70 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Grease a 20x20cm square baking dish and line the base with parchment paper.
Place the pitted dates in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over them and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble up. Leave to steep for 10 minutes.
Transfer the softened dates and all their soaking liquid into a food processor. Pulse until you achieve a thick, slightly textured puree. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar together for 3 minutes until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in the freshly grated ginger, finely minced chilli, and ground ginger.
Gently fold the self-raising flour and salt into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the pureed date mixture until the batter is an even, dark caramel colour.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The internal temperature of the sponge should reach 93C (200F).
While the pudding bakes, make the sauce. Combine the butter, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then simmer stirring constantly for 3 minutes until glossy.
Remove the baked pudding from the oven. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the surface. Pour half of the hot toffee sauce over the top and let it absorb for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve portions of the warm pudding with a generous drizzle of the remaining toffee sauce. Vanilla ice cream or pouring cream makes an excellent accompaniment.
Chef's Notes
- The baking soda in the date soaking step is essential; it breaks down the fibrous skins of the dates, resulting in a significantly softer puree and a more tender final sponge.
- For the chilli, choose a medium-heat variety like a Fresno or a standard red jalapeño. The goal is a gentle, warming background heat that complements the ginger, rather than a sharp burn.
- Do not skip poking holes in the pudding right out of the oven. Pouring the first half of the sauce over the hot sponge creates the signature sticky, dense texture that defines a true sticky toffee pudding.
- Using dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar is critical for both the sponge and the sauce. The molasses content provides the deep caramel notes that white or light brown sugar cannot replicate.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store pudding and sauce in separate airtight containers for best texture.
Freezer: 3 months — Wrap the un-sauced sponge tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.
Reheating: Microwave individual portions for 30 to 40 seconds, or heat the whole pudding in a 150C oven for 15 minutes. Warm sauce gently on the stove.
Troubleshooting
Pudding sponge is dense and heavy
Cause: Overmixing the batter once the flour was added, developing too much gluten
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but serving with extra warm sauce will help add moisture and mask the texture
Prevention: Fold the flour and date mixture gently using a spatula just until dry streaks disappear
Toffee sauce has separated or looks greasy
Cause: The sauce was boiled too vigorously or the butter separated from the dairy
Fix: Remove from heat, add a tablespoon of cold heavy cream, and whisk vigorously to re-emulsify
Prevention: Maintain a gentle simmer and stir continuously while the sauce thickens
Pudding is too spicy
Cause: Chilli seeds were included, or a very hot variety of chilli was used
Fix: Serve with a generous portion of vanilla ice cream or clotted cream to counteract the capsaicin
Prevention: Always remove the ribs and seeds of the chilli if you want mild heat, and taste a tiny fragment to gauge intensity
Cultural Context
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a quintessential British dessert that originated in the mid-20th century, widely popularized in the Lake District. This specific variation introduces fresh ginger and chilli, reflecting modern fusion cuisine and the historical British integration of global spice trades into classic baking. The heat from the chilli cuts through the traditional heaviness of the dessert, adding a bright, aromatic dimension.
