STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

Imagine a warm, indulgent dessert that feels like a cozy embrace on a cold day. This Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce is just that – comforting, sweet, and incredibly satisfying. It’s the kind of dessert that brings a smile with every bite, the rich flavor of dates harmonizing beautifully with the smooth, luscious toffee sauce. The dates, soaked in warm water and baking soda, add a lovely soft texture to the pudding while providing that naturally caramelized sweetness. And then there’s the toffee sauce—oh, the toffee sauce. It’s buttery, rich, and decadent, soaking into the pudding and creating that sticky, gooey finish that makes this treat unforgettable.

What makes this recipe even more special is the unexpected twist of a Magnum bar resting on top, offering a cool contrast to the warm pudding. It’s a combination of textures that leaves you craving more with every spoonful. Whether you’re serving it for a special occasion or simply treating yourself, this dessert will make your taste buds dance. So get ready to dive into a world of melt-in-your-mouth goodness and elevate your dessert game to the next level!

INGREDIENTS USED IN STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

• Dates

Dates are naturally rich in sugar, adding a caramel-like sweetness to the pudding. Chopped dates distribute throughout the pudding, providing bursts of chewy texture that contrast beautifully with the soft crumb of the cake and the creamy toffee sauce. Dates contribute some natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals, adding a wholesome aspect to this otherwise indulgent dessert. The dark hue of dates helps deepen the pudding’s color, giving it a warm, golden-brown appearance that is visually appealing.

• Brown sugar

Brown sugar, with its molasses content, has a deeper, more complex sweetness compared to white sugar. It enhances the caramel-like notes in the pudding, complementing the dates and toffee sauce. The molasses in brown sugar retains moisture, ensuring the pudding remains soft, tender, and moist, which is key to the indulgent nature of sticky date pudding.

In the sauce, brown sugar caramelizes during cooking, forming the rich base for the buttery, creamy toffee flavor. Its molasses content intensifies the sauce’s depth and warmth.

• Butter

Butter is a fat that ensures the pudding remains moist and tender, preventing it from drying out during baking. It evenly coats the flour and other dry ingredients, reducing gluten formation and promoting a softer crumb. Melted butter helps bind the wet and dry ingredients together, ensuring the batter has a smooth, cohesive consistency for even baking. It also emulsifies with the sugar and cream, creating a smooth, velvety sauce.

• All purpose flour

The flour absorbs moisture from the wet ingredients (dates mixture, butter, and sugar), ensuring the batter is thick enough to bake properly without becoming too dense or wet. The amount of flour determines the pudding’s texture. In this recipe, the balance between flour and wet ingredients results in a soft, tender crumb while still allowing for the pudding’s characteristic moistness.

• Leavening Agents

Baking soda helps break down the fibers in the dates, making them softer and easier to incorporate into the batter. It (sodium bicarbonate) reacts with the acidity in the soaked dates mixture (enhanced by hot water and natural acids in the dates) to produce carbon dioxide gas.This reaction helps aerate the batter, creating a lighter texture in the otherwise dense pudding.

Baking powder reacts twice: once when mixed with the wet ingredients and again when exposed to the oven’s heat. This ensures a steady rise and consistent texture.

• Cinnamon powder

Cinnamon introduces a warm, slightly sweet, and earthy flavor to the pudding, complementing the natural sweetness of the dates and the richness of the toffee sauce. It deepens the flavor profile, making the dessert more aromatic and comforting. Cinnamon is often associated with comfort and festivity, making this dessert feel even more special, especially during colder months or holiday celebrations.

• Toffee sauce

The buttery, caramelized flavor of the toffee sauce complements the natural sweetness of the dates in the pudding. It enhances the overall richness of the dessert, making each bite more indulgent. The toffee sauce bridges the pudding and the Magnum bar, melding the cold creaminess of the ice cream with the warm, sticky pudding to create a cohesive dessert experience. Toffee sauce is a quintessential pairing for sticky date pudding, adding a sense of coziness and indulgence, especially when served warm.

• Magnum bar

The Magnum bar, with its smooth ice cream core, contrasts beautifully with the warm, moist pudding. This creates a delightful interplay of textures—cold and creamy against soft and sticky. Incorporating a Magnum bar into the dessert makes it playful and innovative. It surprises guests with an unexpected twist, turning a traditional sticky date pudding into something more modern and eye-catching. The contrast between the warm pudding and toffee sauce with the cold Magnum bar creates a sensory experience that makes each bite more dynamic and enjoyable.

 EQUIPMENT USED FOR MAKING STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

This recipe doesn’t require a lot of equipment. Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons. are an integral part of any baker’s kitchen, and it’s very important to measure ingredients with precision.

A few mixing bowls and a whisk are what you need to prepare the sticky date pudding

A spatula is my favorite kitchen equipment and always comes in handy at a lot of stages.

I have used a 4X4 inch square cake pan to bake my sticky date pudding.

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TIPS TO MAKE STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

1. Ensure the chopped dates are softened well in the hot water and baking soda mixture. This step not only breaks down the dates for a smoother batter but also adds moisture to the pudding.
2. Use room-temperature cream while making the toffee sauce to avoid curdling when adding it to the hot butter and sugar mixture. Cold cream will cause the mixture to seize.
3. If the sauce feels too sweet, a pinch of salt can balance the flavors and enhance the caramel notes.
4. Opt for a Magnum bar flavor that complements the pudding and toffee sauce—classic vanilla, caramel, or even almond works beautifully.
5. Allow the pudding to cool slightly before slicing. This helps it hold its shape when placing the Magnum bar on top.

STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

 

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Ingredients

• 4-5 medjool dates, chopped
• 6 tbsp water, hot
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 4+1/2 tbsp flour
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
• For the Toffee sauce
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup fresh cream
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Magnum bar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius and line 4*4-inch square pan with parchment paper.
2. ⁠Start by roughly chopping the dates and then add hot water and baking soda in it. Keep this aside.
3. ⁠In a separate bowl, add melted butter and brown sugar. Mix until combined.
4. ⁠Fold in the dates mixture and dry ingredients. Combine until smooth.
5. ⁠Pour the batter in the prepared dish and bake it for 25-30 minutes.
6. ⁠To make the toffee sauce, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat. When the mixture is simmering, whisk in the cream and bring it to a boil, stirring continuously as it will bubble up vigorously. Make sure the cream is at room temperature, not cold. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
7. ⁠Once the cake has cooled, slice it in half, place a Magnum bar on top, and serve with a drizzle of toffee sauce.

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If you like my Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce recipe and happen to make them in your kitchen, do tag me on Instagram and share pictures with me using #Bakewithshivesh. Happy Baking!