This vegan sticky toffee pudding is made with super moist date-filled sponge cakes smothered in sweet buttery toffee sauce. It's absolutely scrumptious and perfect for holidays and special occasions!
I wasn't familiar with sticky toffee pudding until I started blogging and really paying attention to different dishes from around the world. Sticky toffee pudding is a classic British dessert. Here in the states where I live it's not as common, and we probably would have given it a different name, like sticky toffee cakes.
Pudding, to me, is a variation on custard — a creamy dessert that you eat out of a cup with a spoon, like rice pudding, chocolate pudding, or tapioca pudding. But I've learned that it's more of a catchall term for all kinds of desserts in the U.K.
In any event, if this dish is a new one for you, you're in for a major treat! It consists of little sponge cakes flavored with brown sugar and dates, and, here's the best part: they're served smothered in sticky, gooey toffee sauce. OH YEAH.
There are a handful of ways of making the dish, some involving steps like baking on the toffee coating or layering it with the cake, but I kept thing simple when creating my vegan sticky toffee pudding recipe. We're just making single-serving cakes and pouring on the sauce. Additional accompaniments like nuts and non-dairy ice cream are optional, but wonderful additions!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried medjool dates. Most grocery stores carry these near the other dried fruits, or in the produce aisle. Buy pitted ones if you can. This will save you the step of having to remove the pits yourself.
- Apple cider vinegar. See my list of apple cider vinegar substitutes if you need one.
- Non-dairy milk. Any variety that's unflavored and unsweetened will work just fine for this recipe. My guide to dairy-free milks can help if you're lost!
- Ground flaxseed.
- Flour. We're using all-purpose wheat flour, otherwise known as white flour. Other varieties like spelt and whole wheat pastry flour will probably work, but I haven't tested the recipe with them, so no guarantees.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Vegan butter. Vegan butter can be found near the regular butter in most supermarkets. I developed this recipe using Earth Balance, so that's my top recommendation if you need one.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional brown sugar may be processed using animal bone char.
- Vanilla extract.
- Coconut cream. This is sold in cans, near the canned coconut milk. If you can't find it, grab a couple of cans of full-fat coconut milk instead, and chill them in the fridge overnight. The coconut milk will separate into coconut water and a thick white solid portion, which is the coconut cream.
Tip: While not required, toppings and accompaniments are great with sticky toffee pudding. Try vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Place your dates into a blender or food processor bowl and add just-boiled water and a bit of apple cider vinegar. Let the dates soak for a few minutes to soften up. You can skip ahead and get started on some of the other prep steps in the recipe in the meantime!
Once the dates have soaked for a few minutes, blend them up until they're smooth. This can take a few minutes if your blending device isn't high-powered, so be patient.
Stir the non-dairy milk and ground flaxseeds together in a small container. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to gel. This is our egg substitute for the cakes.
While your flax egg gels, whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and water.
Tip: Make sure your non-dairy milk is at about room temperature. This might mean warming it up if it's been in the fridge.
Place room temperature vegan butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream them together with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla.
Now add the flax egg to the bowl and beat everything together for a full minute, until the mixture is creamy, pale, and a bit fluffy.
Add the date mixture to the bowl and keep beating everything together.
Finally, begin beating in the flour mixture at low speed. Add it in two or three increments.
Transfer the batter to six lightly oiled ramekins. Place them on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
Tip: Ideally you'll want to use four ounce ramekins for this recipe, but if you don't have them, use a muffin tin instead. Since muffin tins are a bit smaller, you'll need to make seven cakes and shave a few minutes off of the bake time.
Make the toffee sauce while the cakes bake. Combine coconut cream, vegan butter, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Heat everything up to melt the butter and coconut cream, then bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Take the pot off of heat and let the sauce cool. It will thicken up as it does.
Tip: You can serve the toffee sauce warm if you'd like — it'll just be thinner.
Once your cakes have cooled, carefully remove them from the ramekins. Invert each cake on a plate or in a bowl and drizzle it with the sauce. Optionally, you can pile toppings like nuts and non-dairy ice cream on your vegan sticky toffee pudding.
Dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover cakes and toffee sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge. They'll keep for up to five days. The cakes can also be frozen for up to three months.
More Vegan Holiday Desserts
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
Ingredients
For the Cakes
- 6 ounces pitted Medjool dates
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1 teaspooon apple cider vinegar
- â…“ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 1 â…“ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…“ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- â…” cup organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Toffee Sauce
- ¾ cup coconut cream
- â…“ cup vegan butter
- ¾ cup organic brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Accompaniments
- Vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
- Chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts
Instructions
To Make the Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly oil six (4 ounce) ramekins. (Note 1)
- Place the dates into a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Carefully pour the just-boiled water over them and add the apple cider vinegar. Let the dates soak for 5 minutes. (Note 2)
- Blend the dates until smooth. Set aside.
- Stir the milk and flaxseeds together in a small bowl or container. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to gel.
- While the flax mixture sits, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer at high speed. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the flax mixture to the bowl and continue beating the mixture for one full minute, until it becomes creamy and pale.
- Add the date mixture to the bowl and beat it in, just until fully blended.
- Begin beating the flour mixture in, adding it in two to three increments and beating each in at low speed.
- Divide the batter among the ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, and then place the baking sheet into the oven.
- Bake the cakes until they've puffed up and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, about 25 to 27 minutes.
- Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cakes cool completely. The cakes will fall slightly as they cool.
To Make the Toffee Sauce
- While the cakes bake, place the coconut cream, butter, brown sugar, and salt into a small saucepan.
- Set the pot over medium heat. Melt the coconut cream and butter, then bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for five minutes, stirring occasinoally.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the sauce cool. It will thicken as it does.
To Serve
- Gently run a knife along the inside of each ramekin to loosen the cake, then invert the ramekin on a plate.
- Drizzle with the caramel sauce and optionally top with accompaniments of choice. Serve. (Note 3)
Notes
- Slightly smaller or larger ramekins will work, though you may need to adjust the batch size and amount of time in the oven. A muffin tin will also work, but you'll need to divide the batter among 7 cups and cut about 2 to 4 minutes off of the bake time.
- If your blending device isn't high-powered, consider letting the dates soak a few minutes longer to make blending easier. You can proceed with some of the other prep steps of the recipe while you wait.
- It's important to let the cakes cool before removing them from the ramekins, but you can reheat them if you'd like to serve your vegans sticky toffee pudding warm. You can also warm the sauce up a bit, keeping in mind that the hotter it is the thinner it will be.
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