Prune Sticky Toffee Pudding

My prune sticky toffee pudding features moist, tender sponge with notes of warm spices in contrast to a rich toffee sauce. This post is sponsored by California Prunes. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Beyond Sweet and Savory possible.

One of my guilty pleasures is a classic British sticky toffee pudding. This dessert wasn't even on my radar because the one I had in London was dense and overwhelming sweet. It was the sticky toffee pudding at the Publican in Chicago with its balance of sweetness and flavor that cemented my love for this dessert. To achieve the perfect moist crumbs without the cloying sweetness, I swapped out dates for California Prunes. I love using California Prunes which lend their natural sweetness and depth of flavor to baked goods. This prune sticky toffee pudding embodies all the flavors of the classic British dessert without the sugar overload. It was a joy to dig into the moist, tender sponge with notes of warm spices, smothered in a rich toffee sauce in contrast to the cold vanilla ice cream.

Ingredient Notes

• Prunes: I love using California Prunes for baking. Swapping prune puree for sugar is an essential baking trick you don’t want to miss. With their natural sweetness and high moisture, you can use prunes and prune puree to reduce sugar and substitute even oil in your recipes.
• Sugar: use light or dark brown sugar. The latter will give a richer toffee flavor. Muscovado sugar is another great choice with its strong molasses flavor and high moisture content.
• Spices: I love using a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to add warm notes to the cake batter. You can also substitute with ginger and cardamom.
• Liqueur: for a slightly boozy version, I used rum in both the prune puree and toffee sauce. A great substitute is brandy. For a non-alcoholic version, use hot water for the prune puree and heavy cream for the toffee sauce.

How to Make the Prune Puree

To make the prune puree, add prunes and rum in a food processor and process until smooth. The benefit of using prunes instead of dates for this prune sticky toffee pudding is you can skip soaking the prunes in hot water because they are naturally moist. Store the prune puree in an airtight container for up to one month in the fridge.

How to Use Prune Puree

You can use prune puree to replace up to half the sugar, butter, or oil in a recipe. To replace 1 large egg, use ¼ cup of prune puree. This works best for recipes with three eggs or less. 

How to Make the Batter

• Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with the the paddle attachment. Whip the mixture until light and fluffy.
• Beat in vanilla and eggs until fully combined.
• Scrape the prune puree into the bowl and continue beating until combined.
• Remove the paddle attachment. Place a sifter over the mixing bowl. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
• Re-attach the paddle attachment and beat until just combined.
• Pour the batter into a lined 18x13 baking pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.

What Temperature to Bake the Pudding At

Bake the sponge at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. The baking time depends on your oven.

How to Check if Your Sponge is Done

Insert a skewer in the center of the cake to the bottom of the pan. It should come out clean. If it's still wet, put the sponge back in the oven and bake it for another 5 minutes and recheck.

How to Make the Toffee Sauce

• To make the toffee sauce, combine butter and light brown sugar in a large frying pan. Cook over medium heat until melted and bubbling.
• Stir in cream and whisk until combined.
• Add in rum and sea salt cook for 15-18 minutes until thickened. The sauce should be thick put pourable. Set aside to cool down.

What to Serve Pudding With

The prune sticky toffee pudding is best served warm with vanilla ice cream and the sauce drizzled on top. I do recommend drizzling the sauce onto each piece as you cut it so that you can store the extra sauce and leftover sponge separately to prevent it from become one big, soggy mess. You can also serve it warm with a dollop of whipped cream or cream fraiche if you don't have ice cream.

Make Ahead and Storage

The prune sticky toffee pudding is best served the day it's made. Store the leftover sponge in a lidded container for up to 3 days. Rewarm the sponge in the oven for 15-20 seconds before serving. The toffee sauce can be stored in a tightly lidded container for up to a week. Rewarm it on the stove and add in a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream if it's too thick.

For more prune recipe inspiration:

• Prune chocolate morning buns
• Prune clafoutis
• Prune snack cake
• Spiced prune coffee cake