Sticky Date Pudding

There is actually no difference between the two, as "sticky date pudding" and "sticky toffee pudding" are simply interchangeable regional names for the exact same dessert. Both consist of a dense, moist sponge cake made with finely chopped dates and covered in a rich toffee sauce.

The dessert is traditionally steamed or baked and served warm, generously drenched in a hot butterscotch or toffee sauce. It is almost always accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of heavy cream to balance the sweetness.

While dates were historically imported into Britain, the modern version of sticky toffee pudding is widely credited to British chefs in the 1970s, specifically popularized by Francis Coulson at the Sharrow Bay hotel in the Lake District. The dense date sponge was heavily inspired by earlier Canadian recipes.

Yes, because traditional British puddings were often steamed on the stovetop, you can successfully cook a sticky date pudding in a bain-marie or a dedicated steamer. However, most modern recipes opt for the quicker method of baking the sponge in a standard oven.