This easy slow cooker sticky toffee pudding is rich, moist, and packed with caramelized flavor. Made with soft dates and a luscious toffee sauce, it’s a simple hands-off dessert. Serve it warm with clotted cream, custard, or ice cream for a comforting treat. Perfect for making ahead and using everyday ingredients!

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Recipe Ingredients

• 125g (9 tbsp) butter
• 250g (9 oz) dates, stoned
• 125ml (½ cup) boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 275g (1 ⅓ cups) brown sugar
• 325ml (1 ⅓ cups) double cream (heavy cream)
• 5 tbsp treacle (molasses)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 200g (1 ⅔ cups) self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• To serve: Clotted cream, custard, or ice cream

How To Make Slow Cooker Sticky Toffee Pudding

1. Preheat the slow cooker: Set your slow cooker on low for 10 minutes. Grease a pudding bowl with 1 tbsp of butter and line with baking paper. Make sure it fits inside the slow cooker with the lid closed.
2. Soak the dates: Place the dates in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for 30 minutes.
3. Make the toffee sauce: In a saucepan, combine vanilla extract, 80g (⅓ cup) of sugar, cream, half the treacle, and half the butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat slightly and cook for 3 more minutes. Whisk and add a pinch of salt. Pour one-third of the sauce into the prepared pudding bowl. Set the rest aside for later.
4. Prepare the pudding batter: Remove the dates from the soaking water (reserve the water) and chop roughly. In a mixing bowl, beat together the remaining sugar, treacle, and butter with the eggs. Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, chopped dates, and reserved soaking water. Spoon into the pudding bowl, leaving a 1cm (⅓ inch) gap at the top.
5. Cover and secure the pudding: Cover with a greased layer of baking paper and a layer of foil, making a central cut for steam to escape. Tie with string to secure.
6. Cook the pudding: Place the bowl in the slow cooker. Boil the kettle and pour hot water into the slow cooker, filling halfway up the sides of the bowl. Close the lid and cook on low for 8 hours.
7. Unmould and serve: Carefully remove the pudding from the slow cooker. Run a knife around the edge and turn it out onto a serving plate. Reheat the remaining toffee sauce and pour over the pudding. Serve warm with clotted cream, custard, or ice cream.

Recipe Tips

• Use soft, moist dates: If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for a few extra minutes to make the pudding extra soft and rich.
• Don’t skip lining the bowl: Greasing and lining the pudding bowl with baking paper helps prevent sticking and makes it easier to turn out.
• Make a steam vent: When covering with foil and baking paper, cut a small slit in the center to let steam escape, preventing a soggy top.
• Check your slow cooker size: Ensure your pudding bowl fits inside with the lid closed, or the pudding may not cook evenly.
• Reheat the sauce just before serving: Warm the leftover toffee sauce on low heat to keep it smooth and pourable over the pudding.

Recipe FAQs and Variations

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