Gordon Ramsay’s sticky toffee pudding gets its texture from dates that are pureed into a paste, not just chopped and folded in. The batter bakes in a muffin tin at 175°C (350°F) for just 17 to 19 minutes, then gets drenched in a toffee sauce that has bourbon stirred through it at the end.
I ordered this at restaurants for years and never thought to make it at home because I assumed sticky toffee pudding with dates would be fiddly. Ramsay’s version is his signature dessert and it is easier than a batch of cupcakes, which I did not expect at all.
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Why The Dates Get Pureed First
Most recipes tell you to chop dates and mix them into the batter, but Ramsay soaks them in boiling water with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) first. The bicarb breaks the dates down and softens them, then you blend the whole thing into a smooth paste before adding it to the batter.
I skipped the blending step once and just mashed them with a fork. The pudding still tasted good, but it had chewy bits of date instead of that smooth, almost fudgy texture you get at a restaurant.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Ingredients
For the pudding:
- 140g (5 oz) pitted dates, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 60ml (¼ cup) boiling water
- 42g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 84g (6 tbsp) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 78g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder
For the toffee sauce:
- 113g (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 225g (1 cup) packed brown sugar
- 30ml (2 tbsp) whole milk
- 30ml (2 tbsp) double cream (heavy cream)
- 35g (2 tbsp) golden syrup (corn syrup)
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 30ml (2 tbsp) bourbon
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Soak the dates: Put the chopped dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over, press them down with a spoon, and leave for 10 minutes.
- Cream the butter: Beat the butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg: Drop the egg in and mix on medium until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Add the dry ingredients: Tip in the plain flour and baking powder on low speed, mixing until just combined.
- Puree the dates: Blend the soaked dates with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth.
- Combine: Pour the date puree into the batter and mix on low until everything is evenly combined.
- Fill the tin: Grease and flour a 6-cup muffin tin, then divide the batter evenly between the cups.
- Bake: Put in a preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 17 to 19 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Cool: Let them sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a plate.
- Make the sauce: While the puddings bake, put all the sauce ingredients except the bourbon into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and let it bubble for 3 minutes until thick.
- Finish the sauce: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bourbon.
- Serve: Spoon the warm sauce over the puddings and serve straight away.
Can You Make One Large Pudding Instead
Gordon’s restaurant version uses a lined baking tray instead of a muffin tin, and his banana pudding uses a similar batter with mashed banana folded through. You pour all the batter in, bake at 170°C (340°F) with the fan on for about 50 minutes, then cut it into squares.
I have done both and the individual ones look better on the plate, but the large version is easier when you are feeding a crowd. The middle stays softer in the big tray, which some people actually prefer.
What Goes Into The Toffee Sauce
The sauce is butter, brown sugar, milk, cream, golden syrup, and a pinch of salt, boiled for exactly 3 minutes. If you boil it longer it turns into hard caramel, if you boil it less it stays too thin.
Three minutes gives you a sauce that coats the back of a spoon and pools around the pudding without running off the plate.
The bourbon goes in after you take the pan off the heat. I thought it would taste boozy but it does not, it just adds a warm, almost vanilla-like depth that you cannot get from vanilla alone.
When To Pour The Sauce Over
Both the pudding and the sauce need to be warm when they meet. Gordon serves this with a mascarpone mousse at some of his restaurants, but at home I just use a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pour the hot sauce over everything so it melts into the bowl.
Cold double cream (heavy cream) poured straight from the jug works too.
This pairs well after a simple main like a chicken curry or even just a vegetable soup. You want something light before it because the pudding is rich enough on its own.
Will These Keep Until Tomorrow
They keep for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat in the oven at 160°C (325°F) for 10 minutes and make a fresh batch of sauce, or just warm the leftover sauce in a small pan.
You can freeze the puddings for up to 2 months wrapped individually in cling film (plastic wrap). I freeze the sauce separately in a jar because it thickens when cold and you need to heat it gently to bring it back.
FAQs
- Did Gordon Ramsay invent sticky toffee pudding? No. It was created in the 1970s by Francis Coulson at the Sharrow Bay Hotel in the Lake District. Ramsay made it famous worldwide by putting it on his restaurant menus and featuring it on MasterChef, but the recipe has been around since before he started cooking. His christmas pudding also uses a traditional technique.
- Is this a cake or a pudding? In the UK, pudding just means dessert. The sponge is baked like a cake, but once you pour the toffee sauce over it, the texture becomes soft and sticky, which is why it is called a pudding and not a sticky toffee cake.
- Can I make sticky toffee pudding without dates? You can, but it will not taste the same. Dates are what give the sponge its dark colour and fudgy moisture. I have seen people try it with prunes or dried figs, and it works, but the flavour is different.
- Can I microwave sticky toffee pudding? You can microwave a single pudding for 30 to 40 seconds to reheat it, but I would not try baking the batter in the microwave. The sponge needs dry oven heat to rise properly and get that slight crust on top.
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Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 individual pudding with sauce):
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Total Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
- Sodium: 210mg
- Carbohydrates: 72g
- Fibre: 2g
- Sugars: 58g
- Protein: 4g
Gordon Ramsay Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
6
servings20
minutes19
minutes39
minutesGordon Ramsay’s sticky toffee pudding gets its texture from dates that are pureed into a paste, not just chopped and folded in. The batter bakes in a muffin tin at 175°C (350°F) for just 17 to 19 minutes, then gets drenched in a toffee sauce that has bourbon stirred through it at the end.
I ordered this at restaurants for years and never thought to make it at home because I assumed sticky toffee pudding with dates would be fiddly. Ramsay’s version is his signature dessert and it is easier than a batch of cupcakes, which I did not expect at all.
Ingredients
140g (5 oz) pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
42g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
84g (6 tbsp) light brown sugar
1 large egg
78g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
225g (1 cup) packed brown sugar
30ml (2 tbsp) whole milk
30ml (2 tbsp) double cream (heavy cream)
35g (2 tbsp) golden syrup (corn syrup)
Tiny pinch of salt
30ml (2 tbsp) bourbon
Directions
- Soak the dates: Put the chopped dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over, press them down with a spoon, and leave for 10 minutes.
- Cream the butter: Beat the butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg: Drop the egg in and mix on medium until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Add the dry ingredients: Tip in the plain flour and baking powder on low speed, mixing until just combined.
- Puree the dates: Blend the soaked dates with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth.
- Combine: Pour the date puree into the batter and mix on low until everything is evenly combined.
- Fill the tin: Grease and flour a 6-cup muffin tin, then divide the batter evenly between the cups.
- Bake: Put in a preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 17 to 19 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Cool: Let them sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a plate.
- Make the sauce: While the puddings bake, put all the sauce ingredients except the bourbon into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and let it bubble for 3 minutes until thick.
- Finish the sauce: Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bourbon.
- Serve: Spoon the warm sauce over the puddings and serve straight away.
