Apple Sticky Toffee Pudding
Soft and gooey apple sticky toffee pudding (or sticky date pudding) reinvests a classic dessert into a cozy fall treat. A warm cinnamon sponge cake sweetened with dates and brown sugar is studded with apples and soaked in an irresistible cinnamon toffee sauce.
Ingredients
Date Mixture
- 1 cup (225g) pitted medjool dates chopped (note 1)
- 1 ⅓ cup (320g) dairy-free milk
- ½ cup (115g) vegan butter chilled (note 2 for alternatives)
- 2 x (~275g) peeled and chopped small apples weighed after peeling
Pudding
- 1 ½ cup (190g) all-purpose plain flour spoon and levelled
- ½ cup (100g) packed light brown sugar (note 3)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda also known as bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter or oil
Sticky Toffee Sauce
- 1 ½ cup (340g) dairy-free cream (note 4)
- ¾ cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (75g) vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the date mixture:
- Add the chopped dates and dairy-free milk to a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the dates are very soft. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Blend the date mixture with a stick blender or food processor, or mash it with a fork. Be careful if the mixture is hot! If you'd like some chunks of dates in your sticky toffee pudding, only blend half of the mixture. Add the chilled butter and apple pieces and mix until the butter has melted. Let the mixture cool until it's warm or at room temperature.
Make the pudding:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Or generously grease 12 individual pudding molds (the number of puddings you'll get will depend on the size of your molds) or a 12-cup muffin tray. If using pudding molds, place them on a large baking tray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined. Add the apple date mixture and mix until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into your cake pan (or individual molds) and smooth the surface.
- If you're using a square baking pan, bake the pudding for around 42-47 minutes. If you're using individual molds, bake them for around 30-35 minutes. The pudding is ready when you can insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean. Try to insert the toothpick in a few places to double-check, as the apple pieces can wipe the toothpick clean. Place the pudding on a cooling rack.
Make the toffee sauce (while your pudding is baking):
- Add the cream, sugar and butter to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Let the butter melt and simmer the mixture for 5-10 minutes until the sauce turns golden brown. For a thinner sauce, cook for less time. For a thicker sauce, cook for longer.
Serve and store:
- When the pudding is still warm, use a toothpick to prick many holes into the surface and pour 1/2 cup of toffee sauce on top. For individual puddings, this will be around 1 tablespoon of sauce per serve.
- Cut the pudding into slices. Serve the pudding hot or warm with a generous drizzle of toffee sauce. If desired, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dairy-free custard.
- Store leftover pudding and sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat the pudding and sauce in the microwave or the oven and serve hot or warm.
Notes
- Dried dates will also work for this recipe. If using, add an extra dash of milk to the mixture.
- I used a vegan block butter but this recipe will also work with a spreadable vegan butter. A neutral-flavored oil will also work in the pudding.
- Alternatively, you can use coconut sugar. Granulated sugar will also work but the puddings will have less depth of flavor.
- The sauce will work with a vegan double cream (that's normally used for whipping), a pouring cream (such as Oatly), or coconut cream.