Rich Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding - A classic rich British pudding that can be enjoyed all year round with custard or ice cream. Vegetarian and vegan recipes.

RICH STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

Sticky toffee is a well loved pudding across the UK. 

It's a rich sponge like pudding sweetened with dates and served hot with s sticky toffee sauce.

Everyone has their own favourite way of serving it with either vanilla ice cream, pouring cream or custard.

IS STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING SCOTTISH?

It's hard to say.

Sticky toffee pudding is popular across Scotland and you will find it on menus in cafes, bistros, pubs and restaurants.

As with many of these traditional recipes in the UK, people move from country to country and recipes are shared, so there are usually claims from different places.

The Scottish claim to Sticky Toffee Pudding comes from the Udny Arms Hotel in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire. 

The hotel and restaurant started serving sticky toffee pudding in 1967 and every guest went home with the recipe as a gift. Unfortunately the hotel closed some years ago.

The English claim comes Sticky Toffee Pudding comes from Sharrow Bay Hotel in the Lake District, in the North West of England. They called their version Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge and it's been on the menu there since the 1970s.

Unlike the Scottish hotel, Sharrow Bay is not so happy about sharing their recipe. They are said to keep it locked in a safe in their vault, with only a chosen view allowed access to it.

No matter were it originated it continues to be a popular Scottish dish.

also try - creamy rice pudding with toffee bananas

DATES

Dates are a fruit that grow in clusters on palm trees in the Middle East.  

They are very sweet and have an almost toffee like flavour that is perfect in puddings like sticky toffee pudding.

You can buy them fresh or dried and in both cases you need to slit them and remove the stone before using them.

BROWN SUGAR

Brown sugar or demerara sugar both bring a lot of flavour to desserts.

Like dates, they also give a toffee or caramel like flavour to desserts, puddings and cakes.

However if you don't have sugar, you can use caster sugar. Your final bake will be lighter, but still tasty.

FLAX EGGS

Flax eggs are easy to make and a good substitute for eggs in cakes.

However after experimenting with them, I would say that they are better in heavier cakes like fruit cakes. 

I have used them with some success in this type of cake, but it's not so good in a victoria sponge. As this is a pudding you can get away with it being a little heavier.

I would add 3 flax eggs into this sponge to make it vegan, in place of the 4 eggs.

You could also mash two large, ripe bananas and use them instead to bind the mixture, but be careful not to over mix your cake mix if you are using bananas, as it will result in a rubbery cake if you do.

HOW TO MAKE FLAX EGGS

Flax eggs are super easy to make.

You only need two ingredients, flax seeds and water. That's it.

Flax seeds are readily available in supermarkets and health food shops. They can be pricey though, so try looking for linseeds, which are the same thing, but often cheaper.

To make the eggs you need to grind the flax seeds into a powder. 

4 WAYS TO GRIND FLAX SEEDS

1. With a pestle and mortar
2. In a food processor
3. In a blender
4. In a coffee or spice grinder

MAKING FLAX EGGS

Once you have flax seed powder you are ready to go.

Simply mix 1 tablespoon of flax seed powder with 3 tablespoons of water (for each egg) in a bowl, then pop that bowl in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes.

When you take them out of the fridge they will be gloopy and ready to add to your bake.

I wouldn't add more than 3 flax eggs to a bake. It just doesn't work.

SHARING RECIPES

This is one of the few times where I'm sharing someone else's recipe (I shared Jamie Oliver's Happiness Pasta last year).

I couldn't resist sharing this one as I love sticky toffee pudding.

I'm also adding vegan substitutes for you to try. I haven't tried veganising it myself yet, but this is how I would do it, from my experience of converting other heavier cakes and puddings.

TOM KITCHIN RECIPE

This version of the pudding was created by Tom Kitchin, a Scottish chef you may have heard of.

He's been on various cookery shows including the Great British Menu and he was the youngest chef to win a Michelin star.

His restaurant is called the The Kitchin and you'll find it by the canal in Leith, Edinburgh, down by the old docks.

Tom created this recipe and gave it an extra warmth and kick by serving it with Glen Grant Whisky. He selected an 18 year old single malt which has a rich and spicy flavour.

Whisky can be great served with or in desserts and puddings.

This one has a strong, rich flavour, which is perfect with or in a pudding, but if you're making lighter dessert like Scottish Cranachan (where the whisky is one of the ingredients) you'd be looking for a younger whisky.

For more Scottish recipes have a look at my recipe index of Scottish Recipes for Vegans and Vegetarians

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MORE BRITISH PUDDINGS TO TRY

• Creamy Rice Pudding with Toffee Bananas
• Dark Chocolate Magic Pudding
• Easy Microwave Jam Sponge Pudding
• Leftover Panettone Chocolate & Cranberry Pudding
• Scottish Blackberry & Pear Crumble
• Scottish Pear & Ginger Crumble

LOOKING FOR A LIGHTER DESSERT?

If you feel this pudding is too rich for warms evenings (how could you!), why not try my Vegan Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Mousse made with Chickpea Water(Aquafaba.

Rich Sticky Toffee Pudding

Yield: 8

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum (with kind permission)

Prep time: 15 MCook time: 25 MTotal time: 40 M

Sticky Toffee Pudding - A classic rich British pudding that can be enjoyed all year round with custard or ice cream. Vegetarian and vegan recipes.

Ingredients:

Sponge

• 515g/3 cups dates (with no stones), chopped
• 675 ml/3 cups water
• 2 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 112g/½ cup butter (or dairy free spread)
• 515g/2 ½ cups & 1 tbsp demerara sugar
• 4 eggs , whisked (or 3 flax eggs, see notes below)
• 515g /4 cups & 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Sauce

• 1 kg/5 cups demerara sugar
• 1 litre/4 cups & 3 tbsp single (light) cream (or Alpro soya cream)
• 250g/1 cup butter, diced (or dairy free spread)

Instructions:

Sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 180 c/160 c fan/350 f/gas mark 4, then grease and flour 8 individual pudding moulds. If you are using flax eggs make them now and pop them in the fridge.
2. Gently cook down the dates and water until they form a paste.
3. Add the bicarbonate of soda, then turn off the heat and mix together. Cream the butter and sugar until soft, add the date paste, the eggs and finally the flour and baking powder and gently combine.
4. Place the mixture into the pudding moulds and bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer or knife comes out clean

Toffee Sauce

1. Bring the cream and sugar to the boil in a pan, towards the end of baking time. Whisk in the butter and simmer until reduced and thick.
2. To serve, remove the ouddings from the moulds, place in bowls and pour over the caramel sauce. 
3. Serve with custard or ice cream (dairy or dairy free) and a nip of Whisky.
4. Enjoy!

Notes:

TO MAKE 3 FLAX EGGS - mix 3 tbsp freshly ground flax seeds (linseeds) with 9 tbsp water. Pop the mixture in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to thicken.
Alternatively you could mash 2 large bananas in place of the eggs, but do not over mix the sponge batter if you are using bananas as the sponge will be heavy and rubbery if you do.
If you are not serving right away, you can keep the sponges and sauce in airtight containers in the fridge separately.
You can also freeze the sponges and sauce separately and defrost them in the fridge overnight.
To reheat, place the sponges on a tray and cover with foil and reheat in the oven. You can reheat the sauce gently in the microwave or a pan.

Calories
756.66

Fat (grams)
18.75

Sat. Fat (grams)
10.76

Carbs (grams)
140.76

Fiber (grams)
6.10

Net carbs
134.66

Sugar (grams)
86.62

Protein (grams)
11.38

Sodium (milligrams)
132.65

Cholesterol (grams)
136.13

British puddings, British desserts, sticky toffee, pudding, dessert, toffee cake, toffee sponge, toffee pudding

Dessert

Scottish

Created using The Recipes Generator

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post. I loved the recipe and was delighted to promote a fabulous Scottish Chef and whisky.