A rich molasses-flavored sponge cake made with golden syrup and dates topped with a buttery toffee sauce, these easy sticky toffee pudding cakes are quintessentially British and absolutely delicious!
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray your preferred combination of 6-ounce ramekins and 8-ounce ramekins with baking spray (the 8-ounce ramekins serve two in our house). Set aside.
Put the dates into a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam up, so be prepared.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar, and molasses with a hand mixer until light and creamy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla.
Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, and dates (with their liquid) and mix to a smooth consistency. Spoon into the prepared ramekins and place them onto a half sheet baking pan.
Bake the cakes on the middle shelf for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove the baking pan from the oven and place the ramekins onto a wire rack to cool about 15 minutes. Unmold them onto the wire rack and cool about 5 to 10 minutes more.
Make the toffee sauce: While the cakes are cooling, combine the heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, and syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir together over a low heat until the brown sugar has dissolved and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
Pour the toffee sauce onto the warm cakes and serve.
Storage instructions: You can make the cakes 2 days ahead of when you're planning to serve them. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, wrap the cakes tightly with plastic wrap, place in a plastic ziplock bag, and store in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter and reheat at 325˚F just until warm.
The toffee sauce will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 weeks. Reheat it gently in microwave at 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over medium-low.
Notes
If you can't find golden syrup, you can substitute honey, agave syrup, or brown rice syrup. Just be aware that these substitutions can affect the final flavor.Instead of individual portions, you can make one large cake in a 9- x 9-inch baking pan that's been sprayed with baking spray and lined with parchment paper. Bake the cake at 375˚F for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.