Sticky Toffee Pear Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pear Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is one of those desserts we genuinely can't resist, and this pear version has become a proper obsession of ours. The pears add this gorgeous, almost floral sweetness that works so well against the deep, dark toffee sauce, and the whole thing is completely plant-based without losing any of that comfort factor. It's the pudding we reach for on cold nights, after a big Sunday dinner, or honestly any time we want to make someone feel really looked after. The sponge is sticky and soft, the sauce is rich and glossy, and it takes about 45 minutes to pull together. Make this tonight and we promise you'll be going back for seconds.

Cook: 45 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C fan
  • 28cm x 20cm baking dish greased
  • Small pan
  • Separate pan
  • Medium saucepan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Sieve
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 tbsp black treacle
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250g dates - de-stoned and roughly chopped
  • 150ml plant-based milk
  • 50g muscovado sugar
  • 80g plant-based margarine
  • 180g self raising flour
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 ripe pear - peeled, cored, halved and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150g demerera sugar
  • 50g muscovado sugar
  • 100g plant-based margarine
  • 50g golden syrup
  • 80ml plant-based cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50g plant-based butter - at room temperature
  • 25g plain flour
  • 600ml plant-based milk
  • 75g icing sugar
  • ¼ tsp turmeric

Method

1

For the dates

  • Heat the dates and milk in a small pan for 5 minutes until the dates have softened and you can mash them with a back of a spoon
  • Add the vanilla to the pan and take off the heat
  • In a separate pan heat the sugars, golden syrup, treacle and margarine until everything has melted
  • Stir in the date mixture and take off the heat
  • In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined
2

Cook the sponge

  • Grease a baking dish (I used 28cmx20cm) and pour the mixture in
  • Fan out the pear slices and place on top
  • Cook for 35-40 minutes or until the sponge is just cooked in the centre (this may take longer depending on the size of your dish)
3

For the toffee sauce

  • Meanwhile make the toffee sauce. Melt the sugars, margarine and golden syrup in a pan
  • Allow to cool slightly then add the vanilla and cream, whisking until it is fully combined
4

For the custard

  • To make the custard put the dairy-free butter in the medium saucepan and stir it with a wooden spoon until it melts
  • Turn the heat of the saucepan right down, sieve the flour into the pan, stirring constantly until you have a thick dough-like paste
  • Gradually pour the plant-based milk into the dough, stirring until you have a thick creamy sauce
  • Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and turmeric to the pan and stir it until it's well mixed and take the pan off the heat
  • Make sure there are no lumps by whisking it if necessary
  • Adjust to get the right consistency with a bit more plant-based milk if necessary
5

Time to serve

  • Pour the toffee sauce over the sponge as soon as it comes out of the oven
  • Cut the sponge into squares and serve with a dollop of custard on top

Tips & Variations

  • Get ahead with the sauce: The toffee sauce can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge. Just gently reheat it before serving and it'll be good as new.
  • Pear swap: We love Conference pears here because they hold their shape, but if you've got ripe Williams pears in the fruit bowl those work brilliantly too. Just make sure they're ripe.
  • Serve it properly: A big scoop of vanilla oat ice cream or a pour of cold oat cream straight from the fridge over the hot pudding is, honestly, the only way to go. The contrast is everything.

Why This Works

The trick here is cooking the dates down in milk first until they're properly soft and mashable. That step is everything. It gives the sponge this incredible depth and moistness that you just can't get any other way. The pears then cut through all that richness beautifully, so every bite feels indulgent but never too heavy.