Soft, spongy Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce layered with warm caramel flavour and smooth texture, a dessert that melts in the mouth and stays tender even after baking.
Sticky Date Pudding is the way Australians refer to the British Sticky Toffee Pudding. Regardless of the name, it is an amazingly delicious dessert served everywhere in Australia, from top restaurants (in more or less revised versions) to local pubs.
It is probably the most common dessert in the country. I had never eaten it before moving to Sydney, but I immediately fell in love with it.
What’s not to love about a soft, spongy, melt-in-the-mouth date pudding covered in a thick, dark butterscotch sauce? Comfort food at its best.
Surprisingly, it’s not difficult to make at home. There are many recipes out there, but the one I will share with you is particularly good because the pudding is steamed in the oven. This method makes it lighter and more moist and helps the butterscotch sauce soak in really well.
Try it and let me know how you like it. Enjoy!
Why Everyone Enjoys This Sticky Date Pudding
- Naturally sweetened with dates, giving a gentle caramel taste without needing much added sugar.
- Keeps perfectly when frozen, great for planning ahead or baking in batches.
- Made with simple pantry ingredients that most home cooks already have on hand.
Key Ingredients for Sticky Date Pudding
Dates
Use soft, plump dates such as Medjool for the best flavour and texture. Their natural sweetness and slight stickiness make the pudding moist without needing extra sugar.
Brown Sugar
Soft, moist sugar with a light molasses taste. It brings warmth and depth to the pudding and gives the butterscotch sauce its rich golden colour.
Eggs
Use fresh, room-temperature eggs for the best lift and structure. They blend more evenly with the butter and sugar.
Cream
Thickened cream or pure cream works best. Its high fat content gives the butterscotch sauce a smooth texture and full flavour without curdling.
Find the complete list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
Date Pudding
Step 1: Place the dates and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda, and stir until the dates start to soften. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 3: Stir in the cooled date mixture until combined. Gently fold through the sifted flour until the batter is smooth.
Step 4: Divide the mixture evenly among eight moulds, filling each about ⅔ full.
Step 5: Arrange the moulds in a baking tray and carefully pour hot water into the tray until it reaches ⅓ of the way up the sides of the moulds.
Step 6: Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F (160°C – 320°F fan-forced) for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Butterscotch Sauce
Step 1: Combine the butter, sugar, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
Step 2: Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5–6 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Serving
Step 1: To serve, invert each hot pudding onto a serving plate and spoon over the warm butterscotch sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Once cooled, wrap the puddings well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving with the warm sauce.
Fold the flour through gently and avoid beating once the dates are added. Overmixing can make the pudding dense instead of light, so handle the batter carefully to keep it airy.
Yes. Bake the mixture in a medium baking dish for about 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Simmer the sauce for a few extra minutes until it lightly coats the back of a spoon, then let it rest for 5–10 minutes. It thickens naturally as it cools and develops a rich, smooth texture.
Extra Help from the Kitchen
Rest the Batter Briefly – Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes before baking to allow the flour to hydrate and the air bubbles to stabilise.
Brush Moulds Lightly with Butter – Greasing the moulds with a thin layer of melted butter helps the puddings release easily once baked.
Cool Slightly Before Unmoulding – Let the puddings rest for 5 minutes before inverting so they keep their shape and don’t tear.
Mash the Dates Lightly After Cooling – Breaking them up with a fork creates a smoother texture in the batter without losing their natural fibre.
Test the Sauce on a Cold Plate – Drop a small amount on a cool plate to check consistency; if it runs too quickly, simmer for another minute.
Variations and Twists
Add Cocoa Powder – Blend 1–2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder with the dry ingredients for a richer, slightly bittersweet flavour. Reduce the flour by about 1 tablespoon to keep the pudding soft and moist.
Incorporate Warm Spices – A pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom, or a teaspoon of vanilla extract adds gentle warmth and depth of flavour.
Finish with Sea Salt – Sprinkle a small pinch of fine sea salt over the pudding or sauce before serving to highlight the caramel notes.
Serve with Ice Cream or Cream – Pair the warm pudding with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream for a smooth, creamy contrast.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store Sticky Toffee Pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep the butterscotch sauce in a separate jar for the same time. For longer storage, freeze the puddings for up to 2 months, wrapped well to prevent freezer burn.
Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Reheat the pudding in a low oven or microwave until warm, and warm the sauce gently before pouring it over.
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Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce Recipe
Soft, spongy Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce layered with warm caramel flavour and smooth texture, a dessert that melts in the mouth and stays tender even after baking.
Ingredients
Date Pudding
- 180 g – 6⅓ oz. dates – pitted and roughly chopped
- 310 ml – 1¼ cups water
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 165 g – ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 60 g – ¼ cup butter – softened and chopped
- 2 eggs
- 150 g – 1 cup self-raising flour – sifted
Butterscotch Sauce
- 50 g – 3½ tbsp butter
- 220 g – 1 cup brown sugar
- 250 ml – 1 cup cream
Instructions
Date Pudding
-
Place the dates and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda, and stir until the dates start to soften. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
-
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is light and fluffy.
-
Stir in the cooled date mixture until combined. Gently fold through the sifted flour until the batter is smooth.
-
Divide the mixture evenly among eight moulds, filling each about ⅔ full.
-
Arrange the moulds in a baking tray and carefully pour hot water into the tray until it reaches ⅓ of the way up the sides of the moulds.
-
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F (160°C – 320°F fan-forced) for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Butterscotch Sauce
-
Combine the butter, sugar, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
-
Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5–6 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Serving
-
To serve, invert each hot pudding onto a serving plate and spoon over the warm butterscotch sauce.
Recipe Notes
Try it with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of double cream for a creamy contrast.
Hello,
I’m dying to try this! With the restrictions in place I don’t have self raising flour. Do you know what I would need to add to plain flour to make it rise (baking powder I assume, but not sure how much). Don’t worry if you don’t know, just thought I’d ask as I’d love to try this and don’t know when I’ll get another shopping run in.
Hi! You can add 2 teaspoons of baking powder per 1 cup of all-purpose flour to turn it into self-raising. I know what you mean, it is hard. Even when I get to go to the shops, I can barely find any kind of flour at the moment. 🙁 Let me know how you like these and stay safe!
Can this be made in advance
when I made this cake the flour was very lumpy in the mix, even though i sifted the flour. do you know why this happened and how to prevent it from happening again?
I forgot my rating!
The sauce turned out perfectly. It’s great to find one that is easy to make so thank you. I didn’t find the sauce too sweet but I added salt as I like that flavour. I have made the cakes before but not as puddings (eg I didn’t have the tray of water) and they were still lovely. They froze and defrosted very well too. I’ll try the steaming method next.
I get annoyed by people who alter a blogger’s recipe eg reducing the sugar and then complain that what they cooked didn’t turn out how the picture looked. Each ingredient and each amount is there for a reason.
Hi Sandra! THANK YOU so much for taking the time to write this comment! I love this recipe too – it’s actually my husband’s favourite dessert, so I am really really happy that you liked it too! <3
I absolutely agree, if a recipe is altered it will turn into something else. Also, I find that desserts (and especially cakes) are very hard to successfully modify. 🙂
Hi! Can I use milk instead of cream??
Hi Marjolaine
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not. 🙂 Keep in mind though that the texture will not be the same, it will be less “creamy”.
hello manuela
do you by any chance have the origanal recipe from masterdhef please for the sticky date pudding?
thank you
Hi Manu
What size moulds did you use and how much liquid do they hold?. I only have a large muffin tray which are a lot shorter in depth. If I use them should I decrease the cook time?
The amount of dates differs from the list of ingredients to the instructions , so I used the latter. Turned out good, but a little dense. It looked nothing like the picture. I always reduce the amount of sugar as its always way too sweet for us. Overall they tasted very good but they were not light and fluffy which was a little disappointing.
Hi Pat. I have fixed the instructions to be more clear. Thanks for letting me know. I am not sure if the reduced amount of sugar in the batter could affect the texture of the final cake… it’s either that or maybe the temperature of your oven was a bit too high, so they didn’t steam properly. Maybe next time, try to reduce the sugar in the butterscotch instead of the one of the cake, the final result will still be less sweet, but the cake’s texture won’t be compromised. 🙂
I think this is the exact recipe that Disney uses on their cruise ships. I’m not exactly sure of the measurements but the items are exactly the same.
I love sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce. It’s so sweet and I don’t care. 🙂 Yours look amazingly good.