My Favorite Holiday Dessert: Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
I don’t actually remember how sticky toffee pudding became a Christmas Eve tradition. My mom had it somewhere and liked it, so my grandmother figured out how to make it as she always did when there was something one of us liked. From then on we had it every Christmas. Later, it moved to the Christmas Eve menu (along with ground turkey lasagna) and we had it when my grandparents came over to our house after church.
Shortly before the Messy Kitchen’s first Thanksgiving, I discovered a vegan version of sticky toffee pudding and knew I had to make it. We loved it so much that I’ve made it every Thanksgiving since, and a couple Christmases too. If you’ve never had sticky toffee pudding, it’s a moist cake dotted with chopped dates and soaked in a sweet toffee sauce. Served warm, it’s the perfect winter dessert. Even this vegan version is incredibly rich and decadent and it won’t take but a small slice to satisfy even the most ravenous sweet tooth. Try this once, and I guarantee you’ll want to add it to your holiday line-up too!
Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
Adapted from Oh She Glows
For the cake:
- 200 grams (about 1.5 cups) pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 1.5 cups almond milk
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance (vegan butter substitute), lightly softened
- 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans pieces, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 & 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
For the toffee sauce:
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unpacked brown sugar
- 3 tbsp Earth Balance
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- salt, to taste
Optional: coconut whipped cream or vegan ice cream, for serving.
How to:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish or square pan with Earth Balance.
2. In a medium sized pot, bring 1.5 cups of almond milk to a low boil. Add in the chopped and pitted dates and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and stir in baking soda. It will froth up a bit.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the softened Earth Balance and brown sugar until no clumps remain. Now add in the date & almond milk mixture and stir.
4. Add the dry ingredients (cinnamon, salt, 1/2 cup of pecans, and whole wheat flour) into the wet and stir until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake gently springs back when you touch it.
6. About 10 mins before the cake is done, make your toffee sauce by whisking together the sauce ingredients in a pot. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, and then reduce heat to low, whisking frequently making sure it doesn’t burn. Heat for about 5 minutes while standing over the pot to stir & watch. Once it has thickened, remove from heat and set aside. Don’t over cook: note that it will continue to solidify further once it cools.
7. Remove cake from oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and then prick with a fork or toothpick all over.
8. Pour the toffee sauce over the top of the cake and smooth out with a spoon. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.
9. Serve with coconut whipped cream or your favorite vegan ice cream. Note: this entire cake can be made ahead, but you will want to reheat thoroughly before serving.
