A Magical Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe for Harry Potter Fans

I will never forget my first bite of Sticky Toffee Pudding. I had traveled all day (by car – not by Floo powder, unfortunately) and arrived at the inn, tucked among the mountains of central Scotland. Friends and I were on a day trip from Edinburgh and stopped for a meal among the lochs and glens. Based on the setting, Hogwarts might have been hidden just over the mountain tops, far from prying Muggle eyes.

To top off our sumptuous meal, I ordered a sticky toffee pudding for the table to share. I had never tried the sweet British cake-like pudding dessert before. It disappeared from the table so fast, you might think we had apparated it away!

Sticky Toffee Pudding is not officially a Harry Potter food. But as you’ll see, it’s so quintessentially British that many people think it is, and you can enjoy it at one of the two Wizarding Worlds! If you want to learn how to make sticky toffee pudding, my recipe is easy to make at home, even if you’re normally a Squib when it comes to cooking.

Sticky Toffee Pudding in the Magical World

To the best of my knowledge, I can’t find any evidence in the pages of the Harry Potter books, frames of the Harry Potter films, – or even in the animations of the various Wizarding World video and computer games.

There are some rumors floating around that Sticky Toffee Pudding is on the menu at the Leaky Cauldron in the wizarding world’s London. As I haven’t been able to verify this myself, I can’t be sure! I do know that Sticky Toffee Pudding is on the menu at the Leaky Cauldron at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando, which adds some veracity of these rumors…

You might wonder then, why I decided to create Sticky Toffee Pudding and call it a magical recipe… if it’s not actually in the Harry Potter universe. It turns out I’m not alone in thinking that Sticky Toffee Pudding exists in the Wizarding World – and that it’s one of the most magical British desserts out there! Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of my all-time most favorite desserts in the world, wizarding or muggle.

How to Make Sticky Toffee Pudding

While it might not be rooted in the magical world, Sticky Toffee Pudding will still knock your socks-made-by-Dobby right off. Here’s a recipe to make it at home, no complicated wand work required!

Sticky Toffee Pudding Shopping List & Recipe

It might seem complicated, but sticky toffee pudding is actually surprisingly easy to make – especially if you already love baking. As you can see, it’s not actually a “pudding,” in the American sense – which is another reason people so commonly associate it with the Wizarding World and all things British.

The Shopping List

If you’re ready to stock up on the necessary supplies for Sticky Toffee Pudding, here’s what you need:

• White Flour – Bob’s Red Mill is also Gluten-Free, making it a great option for GF families
• Pitted Dates – Medjool Dates are delightful, if you’re struggling to choose between options for this unusual ingredient
• Brown Sugar – I grew up with C&H Cane Sugar in the pantry, and you probably did too
• Cocoa Powder – There are lots of choices, but this baking cocoa powder is a good option
• Toffee Sauce – There aren’t a lot of choices online, so just be sure to choose a real toffee sauce
• Baking Powder – Clabber Girl is what’s always in our house

Don’t forget: you also need eggs, heavy cream, and butter, but probably can grab those easily at the store or have them already.

Note: Like Treacle Tart, Authentic British Sticky Toffee Pudding is traditionally made with Lyle’s Golden Syrup. While you can find it on Amazon, it’s hard to find in stores – so I made my STP without it, using more common ingredients (brown sugar, butter, toffee sauce).

The Recipe

To start, you need to get the dates from their whole, pitted form into a date syrup. Start by soaking them in boiling water, then pulse processing them in your food processor.

Next, mix your dry ingredients, the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder, in a large bowl.

Pour in the date syrup, melted butter, and toffee. Add the eggs and beat until it is fully incorporated.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish, and bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean. This should take 25-35 minutes, giving you plenty of time for the next steps to make the syrup.

While baking, it’s time to make the toffee syrup: combine the butter, toffee, and brown sugar in a pot. Heat and stir them until they are combined, then add the heavy cream. Let the sauce simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat until the pudding is done baking.

Once that happens, you have two options: pour the sauce over the top of the cake, or pour the sauce over after you cut each slice!

Sticky Toffee Pudding is great with ice cream too, especially if you’re able to serve it hot from the oven!

Are you sold on why this sweet, sticky dessert is worth all the dirty dishes you’ll need to wash afterward? Let me know any questions you have about my sticky toffee pudding recipe in the comments!