Delia Smith Little Sticky Toffee Puddings with Pecan Toffee Sauce Recipe

Delia Smith’s little sticky toffee puddings are baked in individual ramekins and served with a pecan toffee sauce, which makes them a completely different recipe from the tray bake version. Chopped dates, vanilla, coffee essence, and bicarbonate of soda go into a light sponge batter, baked at 180°C (350°F) for just 25 minutes, turned out, covered in sauce, and grilled until the top bubbles, serving 8.

I made the tray bake for years before I found this one in The Delia Collection: Puddings. The individual portions look like something from a restaurant, and the pecan toffee sauce is richer than the plain version because the nuts toast under the grill and go crunchy in the hot sauce.

Try More Pudding Recipes:

• All Pudding Recipes
• Sticky Toffee Pudding (Tray Bake)
• Eve’s Pudding
• Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

What Makes These Different from the Tray Bake?

The tray bake uses more butter and muscovado sugar in the sauce. These individual sticky toffee puddings use soft brown sugar and add chopped pecans, which changes the flavour entirely.

The grill step matters more here too. With individual portions, the sauce covers every pudding evenly and the tops all caramelise at the same rate. In a tray bake the edges always get more sauce than the middle. These are the ones Delia recommends for dinner parties.

Little Sticky Toffee Puddings Ingredients

The Sponge:

• 175g (6 oz) stoned dates, chopped
• 175ml (6 fl oz) boiling water
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp coffee essence
• ¾ level tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 75g (3 oz) butter, softened
• 150g (5 oz) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 175g (6 oz) self-raising flour, sifted

The Pecan Toffee Sauce:

• 25g (1 oz) pecan nuts, chopped
• 175g (6 oz) soft brown sugar
• 110g (4 oz) butter
• 6 tbsp double cream (heavy cream)

How To Make Delia Smith Little Sticky Toffee Puddings

1. Soak the dates: Put the chopped dates in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Add the vanilla, coffee essence, and bicarbonate of soda. Leave to one side while you make the batter.
2. Cream the butter: Set the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F). Lightly oil eight 175ml (6 oz) metal pudding basins or ramekins. Beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs a little at a time, mixing well after each bit.
4. Fold in the flour: Using a metal spoon, gently fold in the sifted flour. Then fold in the date mixture, liquid and all. The batter will look very sloppy. This is correct.
5. Bake: Divide the mixture between the eight basins. Place on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
6. Turn out: Cool for 5 minutes, then slide a palette knife around each pudding and turn out onto a shallow tray. Trim the tops flat if they have risen too much.
7. Make the sauce: Put the brown sugar, butter, and cream in a pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the chopped pecans.
8. Grill: Turn the grill to high. Pour the sauce over the puddings. Grill for about 8 minutes until the tops go brown and crunchy and the sauce bubbles. Serve with cold pouring cream.

Can You Freeze These?

Yes, and this is why Delia recommends them for Christmas dinner parties. Bake the puddings, turn them out, and freeze them without the sauce. Wrap each one in cling film (plastic wrap) and put them all in a freezer bag.

When you are ready to serve, thaw them, make fresh sauce, pour it over, and grill. The sauce takes five minutes. The whole reheating process from freezer to table is under half an hour if you thaw them in the morning.

FAQs

More Recipes To Try:

• Rice Pudding
• Bread Pudding
• Apple and Almond Pudding

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 420 kcal
• Fat: 20g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Protein: 4g
• Dietary Fibre: 1g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving (serves 8).