Gordon Ramsay Sticky Toffee Pudding with Delicious Toffee Sauce Recipe
Gordon Ramsay’s Sticky Toffee Pudding is a decadent British dessert featuring moist, fluffy pudding infused with caramelized dates and topped with a rich, velvety toffee sauce. This recipe highlights key secrets such as soaking dates with baking soda for fluffiness and creaming butter and sugar properly for perfect texture, resulting in a game-changing sticky toffee pudding that’s indulgent and irresistible.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
Scale
Pudding
- 200g dates, pitted and chopped (Medjool recommended)
- 250ml boiling water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 85g unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
- 140g dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 175g self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Toffee Sauce
- 200g dark brown sugar
- 100g unsalted butter
- 200ml double cream
Instructions
- Prepare the Date Mixture: Chop the dates roughly and place them in a heatproof bowl. Pour over the boiling water and sprinkle in the baking soda to create bubbling. Let sit for at least 10 minutes until dates are plump and soft. Mash half of the dates with a fork to create a chunky puree and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and dark brown sugar together for 3-4 minutes using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. This step is essential for a smooth, airy batter.
- Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. If the batter looks curdled, add a tablespoon of sifted flour to stabilize it.
- Incorporate Flour and Vanilla: Gently fold in the sifted self-raising flour and vanilla extract using a figure-eight motion with a wooden spoon to keep the batter tender and prevent toughness from overmixing.
- Add Date Mixture: Stir in the soaked dates and their liquid from the bowl, mixing just until combined. Expect a loose batter—that’s expected for moist pudding.
- Bake the Pudding: Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish and pour in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the top springs back lightly when pressed. Check after 30 minutes to avoid overbaking as oven temperatures vary.
- Make the Toffee Sauce: While the pudding bakes, combine the dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, and double cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until melted and combined. Let simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens and caramelizes slightly. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes to thicken further.
- Serve: Once the pudding is warm from the oven, poke holes all over its surface and pour about half of the toffee sauce over it, letting the sauce soak in beautifully. Serve the pudding with the remaining sauce on the side along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a perfect indulgence.
Notes
- Use Medjool dates for the best natural caramel flavor and texture.
- Softened, room temperature ingredients (butter and eggs) ensure better batter consistency.
- Do not substitute baking soda; it reacts with dates to achieve the pudding’s signature fluffiness.
- Properly cream butter and sugar for aeration; rushing this step affects texture negatively.
- Check pudding early after 30 minutes to avoid dryness from overbaking.
- Cook toffee sauce on low heat to prevent burning and achieve a smooth consistency.
- Grease baking dish well to easily release pudding after baking.
Keywords: sticky toffee pudding, Gordon Ramsay, date pudding, toffee sauce, British dessert, baking recipe, moist pudding, rich caramel sauce
