Is Sticky Toffee Pudding Actually a Pudding?
Yes — it is a pudding in the British sense, where pudding means any dessert; specifically it is a moist baked or steamed date-and-toffee sponge cake rather than the soft, custard-style dessert Americans call pudding.
By Kelsy Maruyama, Founder & Toffee Maker, Kelsy's Kandy
Reviewed by Jason Burns, Editorial Steward
Last updated Jul 20, 2026
Published by Kelsy's Kandy · Licensed under Citation License 1.0
What it means
- In British English pudding is a broad word for the sweet course, so a sponge, a crumble, and a trifle can all be puddings.
- Structurally, sticky toffee pudding is a steamed or baked sponge cake made with chopped dates and soaked in toffee (butterscotch) sauce.
- It is not the cornstarch- or custard-thickened dessert that pudding usually means in the United States.
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Last verified: 2026-07-20