Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

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Old Fashioned Date Pudding features a date cake with a rich, sticky caramel sauce that separates to the bottom while cooking. Serve warm with the sticky sauce poured over top and a dollop of whipped cream. One whiff or bite will take you back to Grandma’s kitchen.

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Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe

I love a challenge, especially with an ending that puts a big bowl of warm date pudding cake in front of me. My friend, Patty asked if I could find a Date Pudding like the one her mom used to make. Now, Patty is the woman behind our favorite French Onion Joes recipe, so I knew that if I could find this recipe, it would be one that I would want for myself too.

While sticky date cake isn’t something that I had ever eaten previously, it is now one of my favorite old fashioned desserts.

Sticky Date Loaf Cake Ingredients

  • Water
  • Brown Sugar
  • Butter
  • Vanilla
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Dried Dates
  • Chopped Nuts (optional)
  • Milk

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Patty remembers her mom making this vintage recipe around Thanksgiving or Christmas. In her words, “this recipe is special.” This is exactly what I love about recipes. One smell or one bite can instantly take you back in time.

Patty described her mom’s date pudding recipe as a kind of traditional bread pudding where you spoon the sauce over the top after you dish out a portion on the serving plate. So I set out on the hunt for a sticky date pudding recipe. Turns out, I didn’t have to look far. I found not one, but six different versions of this pudding in one of my favorite cookbooks.

Date Pudding Cobbler

The star of this recipe is the dates, and dried dates are easy to find at least during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. I bought a big box of California Figs from Costco and chopped them myself for this recipe. If you use whole dates, watch out for the seeds. You’ll want to remove them before adding to the pudding, or buy pitted dates or the ones pre-chopped.

If you’ve never tried a date, you are missing out. They are very sweet because they are high in sugar, but they are also high in fiber and protein. So watch out, don’t eat too many at once.

Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (5)

How to Make Sticky Date Pudding

Step by Step Instructions

  1. For the sauce, boil water, brown sugar and butter for three minutes; add vanilla and take off heat to cool slightly.
  2. Meanwhile, mix sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; add in chopped dates, nuts and milk and stir to form a sticky pudding batter.
  3. Spread the batter in a bread pan sprayed with cooking spray; pour sauce over top.
  4. Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 1 hour or until the center is not gooey.
  5. Serve with the sticky sauce poured over top (it falls to the bottom) and whipped cream.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator.

For the full recipe steps and ingredientamounts for this old fashioned date pudding recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Can you refrigerate sticky toffee pudding?

I recommend you do refrigerate sticky toffee pudding to extend it’s shelf life.

Recipe FAQs

  • This sticky date pudding has two parts – a fudge-like cake layer and a sticky butterscotch sauce that falls to the bottom.
  • To serve, spoon the butterscotch sauce from the bottom of the pan over top the date cake. Homemade whipped cream is the perfect complement, so try this recipe from Vintage Tin.
  • Swap margarine for butter if needed or desired.
  • This old fashioned date pudding cake calls for 1 cup chopped dates, but you can add a little more if desired. Try a heaping cup!
  • Either buy the dates pre-chopped or chop your own, but be sure to remove the seeds while chopping.
  • This date pudding recipe takes about an hour in the oven, but if the center looks wet and not completely cooked, leave it in the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes until it matches the rest of the cake. However, you don’t want to overcook, it is supposed to be sticky – just not wet.
  • We love old fashioned desserts. Try Grandma’s Cherry Fluff, Apple Pudding Cake, and Rhubarb Cake.

The Best Old Fashioned Desserts

Lemon Meringue Pie

Rhubarb Crunch

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Old Fashioned Date Pudding – Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Old Fashioned Date Pudding features a date cake with a rich, sticky caramel sauce that separates to the bottom while cooking. Serve warm with the sticky sauce poured over top and a dollop of whipped cream. One whiff or bite will take you back to Grandma's kitchen.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Date Pudding, Date Pudding Cake, Old Fashioned Date Pudding, Sticky Date Pudding, Sticky Date Pudding Cake, sticky date pudding with caramel sauce

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 407kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Pudding Cake

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped dates (seeds removed)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

  • Spray a 9 x 5 inch pan (bread pan) with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

  • For the sauce, boil together water, brown sugar and butter for 3 minutes in a small saucepan; add vanilla and take off heat to slightly cool while putting together pudding.

    Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (12)

  • In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt; add milk, chopped dates and vanilla. Mix together until a thick, sticky batter forms.

    Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (13)

  • Spread pudding cake mixture into prepared bread pan; pour sauce over batter.

    Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (14)

  • Bake for approximately 1 hour. If the center still looks wet after an hour, continue to cook 5 to 10 minutes until the center is set. The cake will be sticky, and the sauce layer will move to the bottom.

    Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (15)

  • Serve warm or cold, topped with the sauce from the bottom of the pan. Dollop with whipped cream if desired.

    Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (16)

Notes

Notes About Sticky Date Pudding Cake:

  • This sticky date pudding has two parts – a fudge-like cake layer and a sticky butterscotch sauce that falls to the bottom.
  • To serve, spoon the butterscotch sauce from the bottom of the pan over top the date cake. Homemade whipped cream is the perfect complement.
  • Swap margarine for butter if needed or desired.
  • This old fashioned date pudding cake calls for 1 cup chopped dates, but you can add a little more if desired. Try a heaping cup!
  • Either buy the dates pre-chopped or chop your own, but be sure to remove the seeds while chopping.
  • This date pudding recipe takes about an hour in the oven, but if the center looks wet and not completely cooked, leave it in the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes until it matches the rest of the cake. However, you don’t want to overcook this dessert. it is supposed to be sticky – just not wet.
  • We love old fashioned desserts. Try Grandma’s Cherry Fluff, Apple Pudding Cake, and Rhubarb Cake.
  • The nutritional information is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 452mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 1mg

Linking up to Weekend Potluck.

Old Fashioned Date Pudding Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between sticky date pudding and sticky toffee pudding? ›

Sticky toffee pudding, known as sticky date pudding in Australia and New Zealand, is a British dessert consisting of a moist sponge cake made with finely chopped dates (optional), covered in a toffee sauce and often served with a vanilla custard or vanilla ice-cream.

What is date pudding made of? ›

In a medium bowl, combine the dates with the butter, baking soda, sugar, salt, and spices. Pour the boiling water over the date mixture, stir to combine, and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the nuts and flour, then transfer to the prepared pan.

What is the history of sticky date pudding? ›

The invention of what is known in the UK as Sticky Toffee Pudding is generally attributed to Francis Coulson of the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in England's Lake District in 1960, although this has been challenged by writers from Scotland and Yorkshire.

How do you eat sticky date pudding? ›

Served with a good quality vanilla ice-cream, it really is one of the best desserts and particularly good in the cooler months. It can be served with cream, however our favourite way to eat it is with ice-cream as the contrast of cold ice-cream and warm pudding is such a treat!

Is figgy pudding the same as sticky toffee pudding? ›

Like the Christmas pudding and figgy puddings before it, the sticky toffee pudding is usually steamed for maximum moisture. Instead of figs, however, very finely chopped dates are added to the cake, which gets covered in a toffee sauce.

Why can't you reheat sticky toffee pudding? ›

Unfortunately though these type of self-saucing puddings do not reheat very well as the sauce tends to thicken and be absorbed by the sponge as the pudding cools. So when you reheat the pudding it will have a sticky base but with very little sauce.

Why soak dates in baking soda? ›

The dates that had been soaked with baking soda came across sweeter and had a more pronounced flavor. So I have to agree with this comment I found, that baking soda probably neutralizes tannins released from the dates, which would otherwise create an astringency in the cake.

What was the original pudding? ›

The pudding we know today began life as a pottage. This was a kind of broth, including raisins and other dried fruit, spices and wine. It was thickened with breadcrumbs or ground almonds. Not dissimilar to the mince pies of yesteryear, it often included meat or at least meat stock.

What is the old name for Christmas pudding? ›

Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood.

What is the oldest British pudding? ›

The black pudding is probably the most ancient of sausages or puddings. Some would claim this distinction for haggis, but the earliest mention in literature is of something tending more towards black pudding, at least in its filling.

What is a kangaroo sticky date pudding? ›

KANGAROO – STICKY DATE PUDDING

The Kangaroo is an indulgent mixture of fresh Dates, sweet golden butter, topped with a magical Caramel sauce making this the best Sticky Date Pudding E-liquid you will ever try!!!

Is sticky toffee pudding the same as sticky date pudding? ›

Sticky Date Pudding – you're my favourite and always will be. Also known as Sticky Toffee Pudding, the simple trick that makes all the difference is to pour some Butterscotch Sauce over the warm cake when it comes out of the oven. It makes it ultra moist and gives it that intense dark colour.

How do you cook Sara Lee sticky date pudding? ›

Preparation instructions

Whilst frozen, remove the lid and slice into desired number of portions. Remove portions from foil and place onto a microwavable plate. 2. For 1 portion, microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds* or for 8 portions microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.

How much sugar is in sticky date pudding? ›

Full Nutritional Value
Serves/Pack 1180g QTY/ServeQTY/100g
FAT, TOTAL46.7 g18.7 g
– SATURATED30.1 g12 g
CARBOHYDRATE, TOTAL101 g40.4 g
– SUGARS83.8 g33.5 g
3 more rows

Can you eat out of date sticky toffee pudding? ›

I would eat it, the amount of sugar that is in it would preserve it surely. Eat. Deffo. All sugar and fat.

What is Green's pudding traditional sticky date? ›

Green's Sticky Date Pudding is a home-style sponge pudding with dates and a butterscotch flavoured sauce. Serve a warm sticky date flavoured pudding to your guests or share with the family. Get that homemade taste easier with our Greens Self Saucing Pudding. Available in a 260g pack.

Why is sticky toffee pudding called pudding? ›

The simple explanation is that Brits use the word 'pudding' to refer to dessert. If they are going to serve you an actual pudding they will specify the type of pudding – for example, sticky toffee pudding or rice pudding.

How to cook Aldi sticky toffee pudding? ›

OVEN: Remove sleeve and film. Place on a baking tray on the middle shelf of a preheated oven for the time specified (Electric180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4 for 25 minutes). Allow to stand for 1 minute before serving. Ensure product is thoroughly cooked and piping hot throughout.

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