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Sticky toffee pudding

Sticky toffee pudding cut into squares in baking paper lined roasting tin with spatula. Hexagonal white place with serving of pudding topped with toffee sauce and cream with silver spoon. Small pale blue and white jug of toffee sauce. Photograph of Sharrow Bay hotel. Cream linen tablecloth.

Introduced in the 1970s by Francis Coulson and Robert Lee of the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in Cumbria, this, now ubiquitous, pudding became the favourite of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The recipe was apparently given to Coulson and Lee by a Patricia Martin of Claughton in Lancashire who had in turn received it from a Canadian air force officer who lodged at her hotel during the Second World War.

Equipment

  • Weighing scales
  • Measuring jug
  • Small bowl
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • Small roasting tin (20cm x 25cm x 4cm)
  • Baking paper
  • Electric hand whisk
  • Medium saucepan, sieve

Preparation method

  • Place the chopped dates in the small bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork.
  • Stir in the vanilla extract.
  • Grease the roasting tin with butter and line with baking paper.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
  • While the dates are soaking, make the pudding batter. Sift the self-raising flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl.
  • Place the butter and demerara sugar in the other large mixing bowl and beat together with the electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Heat the black treacle in the small saucepan until runny, allow to cool a little and stir into the batter.
  • Sieve half the flour with the bicarbonate of soda into the batter and fold in gently.
  • Pour in half the milk and stir in.
  • Add the remaining flour, fold in and then the remaining milk and gently stir until you have a smooth batter.
  • Stir in the soaked dates.
  • Spoon the batter into the roasting tin, place in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until risen and firm.  
  • Meanwhile, to make the toffee sauce, put the light muscovado sugar and butter in a medium saucepan with half the double cream.
  • Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
  • Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 minutes until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.
  • Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rest of the double cream.
  • Remove the pudding from the oven and leave to cool a little before cutting it into 8 equally sized rectangles.  
  • Place each piece of pudding on a separate plate and drizzle the toffee sauce generously over the top.

More sponge pudding recipes
Canary pudding
Cheltenham pudding
Everton puddings
Glastonbury pudding
Lord Randall’s pudding
Prince Albert’s pudding
Steamed syrup sponge pudding
Victoria and Albert pudding

20th century

Serves:
8
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the pudding

  • 225 g medjool or zamli dates, stoned and chopped small
  • 175 ml boiling water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 175 g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 85 g butter, softened
  • 140 g demerara sugar
  • 2 tbsp black treacle
  • 100 ml whole milk

For the toffee sauce

  • 175 g light muscovado sugar
  • 50 g butter, cut into cubes
  • 225 ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp black treacle

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Sticky toffee pudding
Serving Size
 
153 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
515
Percent of Daily Value*
Fat
 
24
g
37
%
Saturated Fat
 
15
g
94
%
Cholesterol
 
108
mg
36
%
Sodium
 
221
mg
10
%
Potassium
 
405
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
 
71
g
24
%
Fiber
 
1.9
g
8
%
Sugar
 
52
g
58
%
Protein
 
6.2
g
12
%
Calcium
 
99
mg
10
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keywords

Black treacle, Dates

© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2026
Illustrations by Chichi Parish
Site by Anselm Eustace