Winter is the perfect season for gingerbread flavored everything! I absolutely adore sticky date pudding – especially on those super chilly nights! – and I EXTRA love that you can freeze it once it’s baked and pull out a little square of sticky date sweetness whenever you’re in the mood for a treat.

In case you’re not familiar with sticky date pudding – it’s not that common in the states – I’ll quickly and briefly break it down for you below 😉

Sticky date pudding is an Australian/ English (both have slightly different versions) baked dessert consisting of a verrrrrry moist pudding-ish sponge cake that’s made with softened dates (and in this case warming gingerbread spices), and typically served with ice cream and toffee sauce.

It’s a simple and decadent dessert that’s perfect for serving at parties (it looks so impressive all decked out with ice cream and drippy caramel sauce) or just storing in the freezer as a treat for YOU! You’re worth it 😉

Gingerbread Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Caramel Sauce – Baker by Nature

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread Sticky Date Pudding:

(1) 9 ounce container of packed pitted dates

2 cups water

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup dark brown granulated sugar

3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For for the Toffee Caramel Sauce

1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup toffee chips

Instructions

For the Gingerbread Sticky Date Pudding:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and lightly flour an 8-inch square baking pan; set aside.

Heat 2 cups of water until boiling. Coarsely chop dates and place them in a large, heat proof bowl, and pour boiling water over the dates.  Stir in baking soda (mixture will foam), cover, and let mixture stand 20 minutes.

While mixture is standing, mix together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer (or in your stand mixer) beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined.

Add date mixture and with a rubber spatula stir batter until just combined well.

Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan.

Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove smaller pan from water bath and transfer pudding to cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Make Toffee Caramel Sauce while pudding is cooling:

In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.

Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce.