Sticky-Toffee Pudding Recipe

Reader Contribution by Morgan Crumm

The UK meets Texas in this decadent date cake with sinfully delicious (and simple!) toffee sauce. The first time I ever saw the words “sticky,” “toffee,” and “pudding” together was in 2010, on the specials board at the Bulman Restaurant in Kinsale, Ireland. I had no idea what it was, but I was eager to find out. Before I could order dessert, however, my group got the bill and rushed off to our next destination. Fortunately for me, since that time, sticky toffee pudding has been slowly creeping onto the US culinary scene. Every time I see it on a menu, I have to order it. While always delicious—it’s hard to go wrong topping a moist cake with anything resembling caramel—only one I’ve tried has been hands-down imitation worthy:

Found at my local Whole Foods Market (and occasionally at Costco), the sticky toffee pudding from the Sticky Toffee Pudding Co. in Austin, Texas, beats any restaurant or homemade version I’ve come across. The difference? While most recipes call for water or milk in the cake batter, the Austin baker with English roots at the helm of the Sticky Toffee Pudding Co. uses Espresso, bringing balance and complexity to an otherwise exclusively sweet experience. Taking a cue from this perfection, my version employs coffee as the soaking liquid for the dates and the primary liquid component of the batter. The food processor yields an extremely smooth batter and makes quick work of mixing—just avoid over-processing once the flour is added so the cake stays tender. The toffee sauce is practically foolproof, keeps well up to a week in the fridge, and can be easily reheated in the microwave when needed.

Delicious enough for dinner with the Queen and simple enough for a Texas Tuesday, this is one dessert you’ll be thrilled to whip up for any occasion.

For the Cake

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