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| Sugar-Free Chocolate Sticky Date Pudding with Cream |
Metric
Details
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Total Time
55 minutes
Yield / Servings
6 individual puddings (or 1 8-inch square cake)
Difficulty Level
Intermediate
Traditional sticky toffee pudding uses dark brown sugar and molasses, but this recipe uses dates and cocoa to achieve a similar squidgy texture and flavor. The dates give a natural sweetness and the Dutch cocoa powder a deep, bitter flavor. This makes the sponge taste and look amazing with a very tender crumb and a rich chocolate flavor. It is then covered in date-caramel sauce, a similar consistency to traditional toffee, making this an indulgent dessert that also happens to be refined-sugar-free.
The roots of this recipe lie in mid-20th century British comfort food, and the contrast of cocoa’s bitter flavor against the natural sweetness of the dates and the sugar in the pudding is the key to creating a truly comforting dessert. And it can be served at any time of year – even on a crisp autumn evening – or as a special finale to a dinner party in the depths of winter. Indulgent? Oh yes. But then again, this is a sugar-free dessert, so it has to be!
Introduction to Ingredients and Suitable Alternatives
| Ingredient | Quantity / Measurement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🍮 For the Pudding / Sponge | ||
| Medjool Dates | 225 g | Pitted and coarsely chopped |
| Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder | 30 g | Approx. 1/4 cup |
| Boiling Water | 180 ml | Infused with 1 Earl Grey tea bag |
| Baking Soda | 1 tsp (5 g) | For softening fruit pectin |
| Unsalted Butter | 60 g | Softened at room temperature |
| Eggs | 2 large | Room temperature |
| Flour | 120 g | Whole wheat pastry or all-purpose |
| Baking Powder | 1 tsp (4 g) | Leavening agent |
| Fine Sea Salt | 1/2 tsp (3 g) | Enhances chocolate flavor |
| 🍯 For the Sugar-Free Toffee Sauce | ||
| Blended Date Purée | 100 g | Reserved from the soaked date mixture |
| Heavy Cream | 150 ml | Minimum 36% milk fat |
| Unsalted Butter | 30 g | 2 tbsp |
| Sea Salt | 1 pinch | To balance sweetness |
| Monk Fruit / Erythritol | 30 g (Optional) | Adjust only if extra sweetness is preferred |
- For this dessert we shall be using 225 g of pitted Medjool dates. Try to find shiny and plump dates that are packed tightly together, have intact skins and give way to pressure easily. Soaked or dried out dates with chalky skin are much too dry and will lack the required sugars to make the perfect Sticky Date Pudding. It is worth noting that Deglet Noor dates will work too but you shall need to soak them for longer (5 minutes) and they shall produce a lighter honey like sugar syrup rather than a deeper caramel coloured syrup.
- Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder: 30 g (1/4 cup / 1.05 oz) Dutch cocoa provides the smoothest dark chocolate flavor with the deepest mahogany color. This Alkalized cocoa has the least acidic content of all cocoa powders. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder can be used as a substitute but you will need to increase the amount of baking powder used as this type of cocoa is quite acidic.
- Boiling Water: 180 ml (3/4 cup / 6 fl oz) – this is infused with 1 Earl Grey tea bag to give the final sauce underlying tannins and citrus notes.
- Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon. Although sugar-free, dates are still difficult for our teeth to digest. The Baking Soda helps dissolve the hard skins of the dates as well as soften the fiber within the dates allowing for a delicate textured and dissolving pudding. The Baking Soda also acts as a leaven, helping the sponge of the pudding to rise in the baking process.
- Unsalted Butter: 60 g (1/4 cup / 2.1 oz) soft to room temperature. For a dairy-free or vegan version, use solid coconut oil of a high fat content plant based butter of similar weight.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs (100 g liquid egg weight without shells), room temperature. In place to replace the eggs with Flax eggs. Mix together 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 5 tbsp of water to make a replacement for a single egg. The mixture needs to set for at least 10 minutes before using. The date paste in the recipe acts as a great structure binder to make up for the eggs in the traditional recipe.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or All-Purpose Flour: 120 g (1 cup / 4.2 oz). Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend that contains xanthan gum.
- Baking Powder: 1 tsp (4 g) for reliable structure.
- Fine Sea Salt: 1/2 tsp (3 g). As sticky date pudding is a sweet dessert, this ingredient serves to balance out the natural sugars found within the dried fruit and to bring out the deep undertones of cocoa used in the dessert.
- Heavy Cream (for Toffee Sauce): 150 ml (5 fl oz / 2/3 cup), minimum 36% milkfat. Dairy-Free Option: Full-fat canned coconut cream.
- Optional sweetener for the toffee sauce: Use 2 tbsp of a granular sweetener, such as a Monk Fruit sweetener or Erythritol. If you are making these little cakes as part of a main meal, you will probably not need to add any extra sweetness as the dates used in the cakes will be sweet enough on their own.
Essential Equipment
- Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan: Heavy bottomed saucepans distribute heat evenly across the bottom of the pan ensuring that the date cream mixture cooks evenly preventing scorching as the mixture reduces.
- Ramekins or 8-Inch Square Baking Dish: Six 175 ml (6 fl oz) ceramic ramekins are preferred for the purpose of this recipe. They allow for the mixture to be heated evenly and aid in creating a firm edge on the individual dessert.
- Immersion Blender or Food Processor: An Immersion Blender or Food Processor is vital to puree the dates into a smooth paste to add to the date base. The dates will keep their fibers and remain hard if not pureed thoroughly.
- Instant-Read Digital Thermometer: A perfect tool to check temperature of the doneness of the crumb of the cake and also of the Toffee Sauce.
Step-by-Step Method
- The Date Infiltration and Softening: Pitt and chop 225g of pitted Medjool dates and place in a saucepan with 180ml of boiling Earl Grey tea. Remove from the heat and add 1 tsp of baking soda to the dates – they will foam up dramatically and start to break down as the alkali in the baking soda reacts with the natural acids in the dates. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the dates to soak for 10 minutes or until they have cooled to room temperature and become very soft and mushy.
- Puréeing the Base: Transfer the date mixture, including the liquid, to a food processor and process until smooth, using as much of the liquid as needed to achieve the right consistency of a smooth purée. Work in batches and use an immersion blender if necessary. The mixture should be completely smooth and have the consistency of a smooth paste, with no large pieces of date skin remaining.
- Emulsifying the Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the softened butter until it is pale in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. The mixture will become slightly thicker and may appear to be slightly curdled; to correct this, mix in 1 tablespoon of the weighed flour to re-emulsify the wet ingredients. Mix in the date puree until smooth and combined with the wet ingredients.
- Aerating and Folding: Combine 120g of all purpose flour, 30g of Dutch cocoa powder, 1 tsp of baking powder and ½ tsp of fine sea salt together in a bowl and sift. This ensures that there are no lumps in the dry mixture, in particular the cocoa, which can form into lumps because of its fat content. Next, fold the mixture of dry ingredients into the date wet emulsion with a broad silicon spatula until combined. Don’t overmix as this will develop excessive gluten in the flour and make a tough, as opposed to a light and airy, sponge. It is essential that there are no visible streaks of dry flour left in the batter.
- Precision Baking: Divide the batter equally into the 6 prepared ramekins (the mixture will weigh approximately 85g per pudding). Place the ramekins on a solid baking sheet and place in the oven on the center shelf. Bake for 20-22 minutes. The surface of the puddings will be springy to the touch and an instant-read thermometer will read 95-98°C (203-208°F) when the puddings are cooked.
- Crafting the Sugar-Free Toffee Reduction: To make the sugar-free toffee reduction, combine 100g of the fine date purée (or date paste) with 150ml heavy cream, 30g butter and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum and using a wooden spatula draw lines across the bottom of the pan to create a smooth surface and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture has coated the back of a spoon and turned a deep amber to mahogany color.
- Soak and Serve: Take puddings out of the oven. Use a cake tester or skewer to poke several deep holes into the surface of each pudding to create holes for the syrup to absorb into. Spoon 2 tablespoons of warm date-toffee sauce slowly over the surface of each pudding and allow to absorb for 5 minutes before serving either unmolded or straight from ramekins.
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Pro Tips
- Tannin Enhancement: Steeping dates in strong Earl Grey tea (see tips for making a great Earl Grey Tea Infusion) to add astringent tannins to counteract the fruit flavors.
- Warm Cake, Warm Sauce: When you pour the date-toffee sauce over the pudding, it must be warm. If the sauce is cold and you pour it over a cool cake then the cake will not be able to absorb the sauce through the pores of the surface of the pudding and the sauce will simply sit on top of the pudding.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t Over-Bake the Sponge: Note that the date cakes will be very dark due to the dates. It is very easy to over-bake these cakes based on color alone. Make sure to check the internal temperature to ensure that the cakes are at 95°C–98°C before removing from the oven to prevent dryness.
- When ingredients are not mixed together in the correct order, the final result of the dish can be very poor. An example of this from this recipe is when baking soda is not added to the hot date mixture to make the batter and then mixed with the dry ingredients. If baking soda is added to the dry ingredients first, hard bits of date skin will be found throughout the pudding and the date structure will not have been soft enough.
Culinary Safety & Hygiene
- Ensure dairy items are stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4°C (40°F) or below until time of use.
- When using an immersion blender to make the date mixture, make sure that the blender head is completely covered by the liquid to avoid scalding by hot splatter.
The Perfect Pairing
- We would suggest to be served warm and then with a scoop of unsweetened Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream or even a dollop of crème fraîche on top. The cool lactic acidity of the crème fraîche is a perfect match for the date-caramel sauce and also the warm pudding. We recommend to serve it with a freshly brewed pour-over coffee as well as with a smoky flavor of Lapsang Souchong tea.
Storage & Reheating Excellence
- Refrigeration: Allow the puddings to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store the date-caramel sauce in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Freezing: Cakes that have been individually wrapped in parchment paper and then in foil can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: The pudding cakes can be warmed up in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 10 minutes. They can also be heated up in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Warm up the date-caramel sauce gently in a saucepan and then spoon it over the warm pudding cakes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I make this completely date-free?
No. In this recipe Medjool dates serve as the principle sweetener in the batter as well as the base of the structures that make up the cakes so substituting dates in this recipe would result in a product of entirely different density and with a different moisture makeup.
Why is my sauce separatin?
Sauce separation – The emulsion of the dairy fats in the sauce and the fruit solids in the sauce can break if the cream is boiled too rapidly. Try to boil the cream on a medium-low heat and use a whisk to constantly mix the sauce until the desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition Facts
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate: 42g
15%
Dietary Fiber: 5g
18%
Total Sugars: 26g
(All naturally occurring from dates)
—
Protein: 5g
10%
Total Fat: 14g
18%
Saturated Fat: 8g
40%
Trans Fat: 0g
—
Cholesterol: 65mg
22%
Sodium: 280mg
12%
Potassium: 420mg
9%
Calcium: 60mg
5%
Iron: 1.8mg
10%
* Nutritional values are estimates and may vary based on ingredient brands used. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
So, have you tried making this sugar free dessert at home? Please leave us a comment below. I would love to hear your results, or even any other ideas on flavor that you may have came up with.
