Why Is It Called 'Sticky' Toffee Pudding?
It is called sticky toffee pudding because the moist date sponge is soaked in and topped with a thick toffee (butterscotch) sauce that gives it a characteristically sticky, gooey texture, while pudding is simply the British word for the dessert course.
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
- Sticky describes the texture: the sponge is deliberately soft and moist and the toffee sauce clings to it.
- Toffee refers to the butter-and-brown-sugar sauce, which is really a butterscotch-style caramel sauce.
- Pudding here means dessert in the British sense, not a custard-style pudding.
- The dish rose to fame in mid-20th-century England, notably associated with the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in the Lake District.
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Last verified: 2026-07-20