Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Puddings are the perfect fall dessert. Ultra-moist pumpkin spice date cake drowned in homemade buttery toffee sauce–there’s nothing better.

This is an easy, make-ahead dessert perfect for a fall dinner party or your Thanksgiving or holiday table. Individual servings feel so chic!

Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Puddings

Up until a few months ago, I had never had sticky toffee pudding. It was a dessert I had heard of, but never tried. A friend came for dinner and served his version and I was blown away! A perfectly rich and tender spiced date cake topped with toffee sauce–what’s not to love?

I’ve spent these last months researching and testing recipes to bring you my new favorite holiday dessert: sticky toffee pumpkin puddings! They still have a dense and moist date cake, but with a hint of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. Plus, they’re made in individual portions which just feels so fun for entertaining.

In terms of effort level, this is truly a low effort, high reward recipe. The majority of the batter is mixed in a food processor and then you just fold that into the dry ingredients. Making homemade toffee sauce is as simple as mixing all the ingredients in a sauce pan and letting it simmer. So easy!

Sticky toffee pumpkin puddings are truly the perfect recipe for a dinner party or smaller holiday/Thanksgiving gathering.

Need more Thanksgiving inspo? Check out all my tried and true Thanksgiving recipes.

What is Sticky Toffee Pudding?

Sticky toffee pudding is a British dessert consisting of a sponge cake studded with dates covered in toffee sauce. It’s often served with ice cream or custard sauce.

There’s lots of dispute on who holds the credit for its origins, but it was really popularized in the 70s. For those of you who thought it was an American style pudding and not a cake, that’s honestly understandable. The British have all kinds of misleading words for certain foods.

At the end of the day, the main components of sticky toffee pudding are a moist sponge cake made with dates and a rich toffee sauce, both of which we have in spades here!

How to Make Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Puddings

I love making sticky toffee pumpkin puddings as a chic individual dessert, but I have instructions below for baking these as you would a cake.

Tools Needed

• Food Processor
• Mixing Bowl
• Microplane
• Saucepan
• 8 oz Ramekins

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Medjool dates. Make sure to pit them before using!
• Spiced black tea. Any spiced tea will work here, but I use Constant Comment.
• Ginger. You can grate fresh ginger or use ginger paste.
• Pumpkin pie spice. Any brand works here!
• Pumpkin puree. Make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. My favorite brand is Libby’s.
• Eggs. Eggs help stabilize the cakes and make them rich.
• Baking soda and baking powder. The baking soda helps soften the dates while the baking powder gives the cakes lift.
• Flour. Regular all-purpose flour is best here.
• Molasses. A bit of molasses adds tons of richness to the cakes.
• Brown sugar. I like using dark brown sugar, but you could use light if that’s what you have.

The Process

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and set aside.
2. Soak the dates. Place the chopped dates, ginger, baking soda, and tea bag in a small heat-safe bowl. Pour the hot water over the top and let everything steep for 10 minutes. Discard the tea bag, squeezing any liquid out first.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. Pour the entire date and water mixture into the bowl of a food processor and add the pumpkin puree, eggs, butter, molasses, and brown sugar and pulse until everything is just mixed, but there are still little bits of dates visible.
4. Mix the batter, distribute, and bake. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold everything together. Evenly distribute the mixture between the 6 ramekins so that they’re about ¾ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the puddings are puffed in the center. Set them aside.
5. Make the toffee sauce. While the puddings bake, make the toffee sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is hot and foamy, add the brown sugar and heavy cream and whisk well. Continue to cook, while whisking occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is smooth. Simmer until the toffee sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum and flaky sea salt to taste.
6. Pour the sauce over the cakes. Once the puddings are out of the oven, use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Drizzle the sauce over the cakes, reserving a bit of the sauce for serving. Sprinkle the tops of the cakes with a bit of flaky sea salt. Let the cakes cool until they’re slightly warm. Top with soft whipped cream or ice cream. 

Make Ahead & Storage Instructions

Make ahead options: You can make the cakes and toffee sauce up to 3 days in advance and store them separately in airtight containers. Warm the cakes and sauce before serving.

Storage instructions: The cake can be kept covered at room temperature for 3 days. The caramel sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Freezing: Separate the pudding into individual servings and wrap each serving tightly with plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe resealable bag for up to 3 months.

Alternative Baking Options

While I love making this recipe as individual portions, you can also bake sticky toffee pumpkin puddings in a large format.

For this, I would recommend using a 64 oz soufflé dish and baking the pudding for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Pour the toffee sauce over the top in the same way that you would for individual servings.

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Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Puddings are the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert! Moist, spiced pumpkin date cakes smothered in homemade toffee sauce–whaat’s not to love? If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Thanksgiving Desserts to Try

Puff Pastry Apple Strudel
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Apple Cheesecake Bars
Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Cranberry Ricotta Cake

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