The most lush sticky toffee pudding recipe made extra moist with apple, and baked in a pool of dark toffee sauce. Served as a family size or individually, it's easy to freeze too. Quite honestly, it's the best sticky toffee pudding recipe ever with the apple.
What's in a Traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Sticky Toffee Pudding is pretty lush and moreish. Traditionally it's made with dates, soft brown sugar, butter and flour and served with a rich toffee sauce (butter, sugar and cream). As a result, this is not a light dessert!
However, I add a grated apple (choose one that's tart, like Granny Smith) for an extra moist twist to the classic. Somehow adding an apple makes us feel a bit better with that decadent luscious toffee sauce.
This classic British dessert is so decadent that my parents would discretely ask my permission if the kids were allowed to have some (am I strict or something?). However, it didn't take long for my girls to crack the codeword: S.T.P. meant Sticky Toffee Pudding and they'd just squeal for it, "Oui, oui, STP!"
This pudding goes against my usual French-style eating habits: I love dessert but shy away from over-sugared and filling puddings. So this is our exception - and the version below is my best recipe and method for coping with this most delicious dilemma called Sticky Toffee Pudding Syndrome.
What Country is Sticky Toffee Pudding From?
Sticky Toffee Pudding is proudly British, said to have originated in England's Lake District. Growing up in Scotland, I always thought it was ours too - especially since family trips south meant a non-negotiable stop at Cartmel Village Shop, the legendary "Home of Sticky Toffee."
These days you'll spot it on menus all over the UK, and even further afield: in America, and in Australia and New Zealand where it goes by "Sticky Date Pudding." Living in France, I quickly realised I needed a reliable recipe to make it at home - so if you're in the USA, Australia or anywhere else in the world, you can join in too.
Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding Recipe - Extra Lush
The famous Cartmel sticky toffee pudding is dark, lush, and drenched in the richest toffee sauce. When I came across a Sticky Ginger & Date Pudding recipe from Carina Contini's aunt (Kitchen Garden Cookbook, 2014), I loved that the sauce is baked into the sponge as well as poured generously on top.
Living in France means I can't just pop into a pâtisserie for one, so recreating it at home has become a necessity. I've adapted the recipe by slightly reducing the butter and sugar, and adding grated apple - a nostalgic nod to my Granny, who always paired dates with apple.
It's now a family favourite, especially with my beau-père, Jean-Pierre, who never fails to ask in his French accent for "…more steeecky toa-fee pood-eeeng, please." Well, here it is, beau-papa.
Did you know I converted Sticky Toffee Pudding into a macaron for my first book, Mad About Macarons? It makes it an entirely gluten-free version - both as a regular-sized macaron and as a giant macaron dessert.
What Alcohol is in Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Although optional, adding a couple of tablespoons of dark rum just adds that extra oomph, that kick, that je ne sais quoi to the sticky toffee sauce. This makes the whole lusciousness extra heavenly for those cold, dark nights.
You could call this version a Tipsy Sticky Toffee Pudding - although if serving to children or those more fragile, omit it.
Family-Sized Pudding
There are two ways of making this recipe.
Normally it's made as a flat cake with the batter sitting (nearly floating) on top of a pool of toffee sauce. It's then baked in an ovenproof dish and served spooned into pudding bowls.
Individual Toffee Puddings
The above family-sized flat cake version has one HUGE problem, however. We normally have at least second portions which can get out of control. It's what we call the Sticky Toffee Pudding Syndrome.
So, to avoid such sticky toffee impulses, my preferred method is to make individual puddings.
To make individual puddings, pour the batter into standard muffin moulds. Use either buttered metallic moulds - even better, non-stick or silicone moulds so no greasing is necessary.
The result is just enough for each person without the seconds. That way we eat half and freeze the rest directly in their moulds before anyone can ask for more (am I controlling?)
How to Make the Best Sticky Toffee Pudding Ever
Making sticky toffee pudding is easy.
First make the toffee sauce and set aside for later. You'll need to bake the cake with some of it - it's what makes it extra moist and lush.
In a saucepan, cover the chopped dates with the water and bring to the boil. Add the baking soda then mash until a smooth paste. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then stir in the grated apple until well combined.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl or in a large stand-mixer until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs, flour and ground ginger. Mix in the date and apple mixture until mixed together.
Bake the pudding in some of the sauce to make it extra moist.
- For individual puddings: Pour ¼ of the sauce (about a dessert spoon) at the bottom of each muffin cavity. Top with the batter until ⅓ from the top, giving enough room for the batter to rise. Bake for 25 minutes.
- For a big family size: Pour ¼ of the sauce into the bottom of a buttered standard gratin dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
How to Serve STP
Serve the rest of the warm toffee sauce at the table and either eat on its own, with a little cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is not normally served with custard, like other British puddings.
Any leftover sauce is great poured on ice creams - and bliss on chestnut ice cream.
Can You Freeze Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Leave the pudding(s) and separate sauce to cool and then store each in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Even better, they freeze well.
The individual puddings are particularly easy to remove from their silicone moulds straight from the freezer and reheat when needed. As a result, the puddings are a handy make-ahead recipe to serve stress-free for a dinner party later.
Love dates? Try Granny's Matrimonial Cake, or date squares, that she picked up in Canada - or add dates to these banana oat muffins.
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Apple
Equipment
- standard non-stick 12 cavity muffin moulds (for individual puddings) or gratin/pie dish 20x30x6cm/ 7x11x2 inches (for one large pudding)
Ingredients
Sticky Toffee Sauce:
- 175 g (6oz/¾ cup) unsalted butter
- pinch salt (fleur de sel, Maldon or Celtic sea salt)
- 250 g (9oz/1½ cups) soft dark Muscovado sugar Molasses ('Vergeoise Brun' in France)
- 225 g (8oz/1 cup) whipping cream (30% fat) or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon dark rum
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake:
- 175 g (6oz/1 cup) pitted dates roughly chopped
- 175 ml (6fl oz/¾ cup) water
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tart apple (e.g. Granny Smith) peeled & grated
- 75 g (3oz/ ⅓ cup) butter, unsalted
- 110 g (4oz/½ cup + tbsp) soft dark brown sugar (Muscovado)
- 2 medium eggs organic
- 150 g (5.5oz/1 ¼ cups) plain flour (all purpose)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (no need if use self-raising flour above)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
Sticky Toffee Sauce:
- Melt the butter, sugar, cream and rum in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once dissolved, turn down the heat to low and stir occasionally until the sauce becomes smooth and glossy (about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake:
- In a saucepan, cover the chopped dates with the water and bring to the boil. Add the baking soda then mash until a smooth paste. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then stir in the grated apple until well combined.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F (160°C fan/Gas 4).Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl or in a large stand-mixer until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs, flour and ground ginger. Fold in the date and apple mixture until mixed together.
- Individual puddings: Pour ¼ of the sauce (about a dessert spoon) at the bottom of each muffin cavity. Top with the batter until ⅓ from the top, giving enough room for the batter to rise. Bake for 25 minutes.(Large Version: Pour ¼ of the sauce into the bottom of a buttered standard baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes.)
- Remove the toffee puddings from the moulds after 5 minutes cooling and place directly on serving dishes. Reheat the remaining ¾ of toffee sauce and pour over each pudding.
Notes
This recipe was first published 20 February 2019 but is now completely updated
Lucie
I even managed to make it with a friend in the mountains up in Japan with the local ingredients and it turned out perfectly just like at home... Tastes like a hug in a bowl, can't wait to make it again when I'm back home with you mum!
Jill Colonna
I still can't get over that story, Lucie - craving sticky toffee pudding on Mount Koya and winging it! I wish you could have shown the photo of it here, as yours was pretty impressive. Thanks for sharing that, Lucie x
Christina Conte
Absolutely sumptuous and decadent! Love everything about this recipe, and yes, a bit of tipple in the sauce is amazing! Thank you, Jill!
Jill Colonna
Thanks Christina. From our childhoods in Scotland, we know how we like our STP at its best!
Denny
I use an app Copy Me That. I hope you don’t mind but I have put your recipe for this pudding in my recipes. Good things need to be shared.
Jill Colonna
Ah - thank you Denny. Your star rating worked this time! I don't mind my recipe being shared, of course. As long as you cite me, Jill Colonna (of MadAboutMacarons.com) as the author of the recipe, I appreciate this so much.
Denny
Hi Jill. Thank you for that one, absolutely beautiful. In Australia this is called sticky date pudding. Coming from the UK I have always known it as Sticky Toffee. Well this went down very well in our household. Is it the apple that makes it so much lighter than certainly a lot we find in Australia? The sticky date (toffee) pudding aficionado in the house gives this 5*****
Jill Colonna
Hi Denny,
So happy your family loved this recipe and thanks for saying it deserves 5 stars - I added the stars myself as you forgot to hit them in the review (let's hope it appears). Thanks for explaining about the Australian sticky date pudding!
Denny
Haha! I will watch out for that. Must add the star rating. Thank you. Another quick question, I used fresh dates but didn’t know if you had used dried? Denny
Jill Colonna
This is normally made with dried dates, as fresh are not as easy to find in France and in the UK. Although I have made this with both and they're both just as good.
Polly Fellows
Hi Jill,
Absolutely delicious! In the end I made it in one large dish, we were six for our French bonfire night dinner, there was none left over…….what can I say!
I am just about to make a double batch for the freezer as the family are coming over for Christmas. Perfect, thank you.
Polly
Jill Colonna
Thrilled this was appreciated well at your French bonfire night, Polly - and even more delighted you're making it again for Christmas. Thanks for you lovely words.
Polly Fellows
Hi, I want to make this a French bonfire night dinner party. Two questions; what size moulds for individual puddings, and is the cooking time the same as the family size?
Thank you
Jill Colonna
Hi Polly - thanks so much for asking, as I realised I needed to update the recipe exactly to answer this - and have done so for you. So for individual I just use standard muffin tins. Cooking time is about 10 minutes less for individual. I hope this helps. Have a super bonfire night. Sounds fun, especially as there are not many in France! Please let me know once you've made the recipe!
June S
Nothing to beat home made STP. Great recipe!
Jill Colonna
Thanks Mum. I know you like the apple in it x
Jilian
@Judy Carruth: I think your confusion is that the directions say to pour 1/4 of the sauce into each of the molds... But what's meant there is not 1/4 into each of four molds, but 1/4 of the total amount of sauce into the bottom of each of 12 molds -- so a very small amount, like a tablespoon or so, just to put some toffee on what will ultimately be the top of each pudding..... and then reserve the remaining 3/4 of the sauce for when you serve them.... is that clearer?
Jill Colonna
Thanks for your feedback, Jilian. Indeed, this makes it clearer and I have specified this on the recipe card just to confirm. 1/4 sauce is for the puddings before baking and the other 3/4 is for serving separately.
Judy Carruth
Hi, this STP recipe looks great but I don’t see how it can be for 12 people if you only divide it into 4 moulds?
I’d like to serve 6 (and maybe have leftovers ) Could you please confirm the quantity?
Thanks!
Jill Colonna
Hi Judy,
I don't know where you get the 4 moulds from? This is for 12 portions. As I say, either prepare them as one big family size or if making in individual moulds, put in 12 moulds. We often freeze half, so 6 are stashed away like money in the bank!
Sanj
Hi Jill! I will try this recipe, as I have been experimenting on STP and this will be my fourth attempt. Will the muscovado make the sauce this dark?
Jill Colonna
It certainly will. Let me know how you get on. Excited you're making it - we love it!
Bea
Oh Jill I'm a true lover of STP. I cannot wait to add the apples! Well done...my pudding is already very moist so hopefully it won't be too much ..thank you my dear friend. I can always depend on you to take from delicious to absolutely addictive.
Jill Colonna
You're so sweet - thanks, Bea. One word, though. If adding apples and your recipe is already moist, then I suggest using this recipe, as I've tweeked the quantities to compensate for still a moist pudding but keeping the balance right. You're right - this STP heaven is rather addictive. Guess you have the syndrome too!
Christina Conte
You know I have STP syndrome, but this looks like STP on steroids! WOWEE! I've never baked individual cakes, and I've also never put some sauce in before the batter! YUM! I seriously need to make this, but then again, it could be quite dangerous! UGH!
Jill Colonna
Dangerous is the word with this one - that's why I freeze the other half pretty much straight away before temptation kicks in for a second one! STP on steroids ... love it!
Linda
Always on the lookout for ways to use apples, since we're still wading through the autumn's crop, stored in the loft.
The Contini cookery books are good, aren't they! My daughter was at school with one of the daughters of Mary Contini, and we have photos of the hands-on fresh pasta making session she did with the class of 5 year olds. I love the idea of the individual moulds - very elegant and a good antidote to the eye-being-bigger-then-the-belly (to put it inelegantly) STP syndrome.
Jill Colonna
Isn't that funny, Linda? I taught music for a year in the same school as Mary's daughters. Small world. Glad you like the individual moulds and the apple - hope you make this.
sherry
this looks delicious even tho i'm not a date fan:) cheers sherry
sherry
i'm not a huge fan of dates so i tend to keep away from these puddings but yours does look delicious. they are so very sweet, aren't they? not that i have anything against that ... cheers sherry
Jill Colonna
Hi Sherry, yes they're normally very sweet but I love this particular recipe, as I'm not a fan of over sweet. The tart apple helps keep this moist, too. As for the dates, you don't taste the dates - and without them it wouldn't be this delicious texture, IMHO.
Henry
Can’t wait to taste your recipe .STP with a difference!
Jill Colonna
Please do make this soon and let me know what you think, Henry.
Liz
I finally made a sticky toffee pudding last winter while our kitchen was under renovations---it was not a thing of beauty though rich and delicious. I love, love the idea of adding apple. I'd have to freeze half, too. This sweet tooth enjoys this dessert way too much! Will need to try it again!
Jill Colonna
I admire you still making your puddings when the kitchen was crazy, Liz. That's dessert love, indeed!
Thomasina
Thank you for this recipe Jill. I love STP and I think adding apple is the answer to many a dry sponge I have had in various restaurants. Not many restaurants even add dates. Now, I am going to make my own and I definitely won't be disappointed. Also the tip for freezing this is very welcome as sometimes a little goes a long way.
Jill Colonna
Really - no dates? Even without the apple, this recipe's cake is very moist but a dry cake in a restaurant? That's ridiculous. All the more reason in that case for us to make it at home! Thanks for popping in, Thomasina.