Vegan Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce (Healthy)

The most indulgent vegan sticky date pudding that's topped with a decadent salted toffee caramel sauce. And would you believe it if I told you it's healthy too? Now there are zero reasons not to treat yourself!

The ultimate comfort food, this sticky toffee pudding reminds me of my childhood. Sunday nights would be pudding nights, and this one was always a favourite.

But I can't say the version I enjoyed as a kid was the healthiest dessert! Laden with sugar, butter and cream, there was a good reason we only had pudding once a week..

This easy toffee cake recipe is a healthier alternative to your traditional pudding. But I promise you won't be left wanting.

Ingredients for Eggless Sticky Date Pudding

It should come as no surprise that the main ingredient you're going to need for this healthy sticky date pudding is dates! For the caramel sauce, you're going to want some delicious raw almond butter. Let's have a look at what else you'll need.

For the sticky date cake you'll need:

• Dates. I just used regular dates, but you can use medjool if you prefer. Make sure they're pitted and roughly chopped.
• Almond milk. To keep it lovely and moist.
• Coconut oil. Helps keep everything together and makes it soft.
• Apple puree. Works as a egg replacement.
• Spelt flour. Adds a lovely nutty flavour, and has more nutritional properties than regular flour.
• Baking powder. Helps it rise.
• Cinnamon and ginger. Adds a lovely warmth and a touch of spice.
• Salt. Just a pinch to bring out the flavours.

For the dairy-free caramel sauce you'll need:

This is the lovely caramel sauce I've created for this recipe, but you can enjoy it without, or try this caramel sauce recipe instead.

• Almond butter. Opt for raw, whole almond butter. It'll add a beautiful colour and flavour. I've listed some alternatives below if you don't have this on hand.
• Almond milk. Helps create the right consistency for the toffee sauce.
• Maple syrup. Adds just the right hint of sweetness.
• Toasted pecans. As an optional topping.

How to Make Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding

1. Preheat the oven to 160C / 320F and grease your cake pan with a bit of coconut oil.
2. In a saucepan, bring the almond milk and dates to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, remove from the heat, and let cool down.
3. Once cooled, pour the milk & dates into a bowl, add the oil, apple sauce and mix well.
4. Gently fold in the spelt flour, baking powder, salt and spices until fully combined.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cake pan and pop into the preheated oven for around 30 minutes or until the cake is slightly brown and gently springs back when you touch it.
6. While the cake is baking, you can prepare the toffee sauce. In a small bowl whisk together all of the toffee sauce ingredients until you have smooth mixture.
7. Remove the cake from oven, let it cool for a few minutes, and then prick with a fork all over.
8. Pour the toffee sauce over the top and sprinkle with some lightly toasted pecans (if using).

Vegan Sticky Date Cake Variations & Tips

You can make 6 individual sticky toffee puddings instead of one large cake if you prefer. Simply use pudding baking moulds instead of a cake pan and cut the cooking time down to around 15-20 minutes (check puddings after 15 minutes to see if they're done by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the centre).

If you want a nut-free dessert, omit the almond butter sauce and use my easy vegan caramel sauce instead. Leave off the pecan nuts, and use oat or soy milk instead of almond.

As an alternative to almond butter in the sauce, you can also use cashew nut butter or tahini. Or, leave it off altogether - it's still delicious without!

Serve alone, or with a scoop of plant-based ice cream, or cream.

How to Store Your Healthy Sticky Date Pudding

Chances are you won't have much of this delicious dessert hanging around for long! But if you do need to store some leftovers, it's easy to do.

Store the cake and the caramel sauce separately if making it in advance, as this will stop the pudding from getting soggy.

Store the cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. If storing the sauce separately, you'll need to warm it up before serving. If it has become too thick, simply add a little more almond milk.

You can also store leftovers in the fridge, but it will help if you can do so in an airtight container. It will stay good this way for around 3 months.

Other vegan puddings to try:

• Chia Seed Cake
• Baked apples
• Rhubarb crumble
• Blackberry crumble bars
• Christmas Rocky Road Pudding

As always please, if you make this recipe share it with me either on my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I would love to see it! Hashtag #HediHearts