This Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake is the best dessert in the whole entire world — seriously, it is that good.
Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake Recipe
My first taste of Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake came in the form of a Haagen Dazs special edition pint — one bite and I was hooked!
Because I loved the ice cream so much, my husband decided to make the real deal sticky toffee pudding cake at home— and as per usual, he made it gluten free and dairy (lactose) free.
This is seriously be the best cake I have ever tasted. No exaggeration!! Gluten free or not, this cake is the bomb!!
My husband’s sticky toffee pudding cake so rich and delicious, that no one will be able tell it’s actually “better for you” than the traditional recipes.
It even got the stamp of approval from a native Scotsman who has definitely tasted his share of Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes. Further proof that this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake is legit!
Here’s what you need to make Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake:
- 1 8oz bag dried dates
- 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups gluten free flour
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons almond milk
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 sticks butter
- 4 eggs
Grab a free printable copy of this recipe at the bottom of post. Click here to jump to recipe.
Note: If you’d prefer not to make your sticky toffee pudding cake gluten or dairy free, simply substitute all-purpose flour for gluten free flour and/or regular milk for coconut milk.
How to make Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F and grease 9″ round baking pan. (This Calphalon Nonstick Round Cake Pan
is our go-to!)
Bring to boil about 2 cups water with 1 bag of dates and 1 tsp baking soda. Reduce heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, cream 1 stick butter with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add 4 eggs, one at a time. (This may turn the mixture slightly lumpy, but don’t be alarmed.)
In a separate bowl, sift together 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour with 1 tsp salt. Slowly add to the bowl of wet ingredients along with 1 tsp vanilla extract, mixing as you go.
Drain dates and add to a food processor with 2 TB almond milk. (Our Hamilton Beach Food Processor
is our workhorse… it’s lasted us years!) Process until finely chopped.
Add chopped date mixture to batter along with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and blend until well combined.
Pour batter in cake pan and bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
To make the dairy free caramel sauce:
In small saucepan, add 1 stick butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes.
Tip: If you start making the sauce while the cake bakes, it should be ready just in time when the cake comes out of the oven.
Add 1 can coconut milk and continue to cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finally, stir in 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tsp vanilla extract. After the sauce is well mixed, lower heat and reduce for 10 minutes.
Tip: If you’re in a hurry – add all sauce ingredients to pan at once and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes.
Put it all together:
When cake has finished baking, set pan on cooling rack. While cake is still in pan, poke holes throughout and pour in half of the sauce. Allow sauce to soak through cake.
Flip cake onto a serving platter. Top individual slices with a scoop of ice cream and more dairy free caramel sauce. Best enjoyed warm!
Want More Delicious Desserts? — Click here to see our 50 favorite gluten free dessert recipes!
Related: If you’re looking for more gluten free dessert ideas, you’ve got to try our family favorite recipe for Guilt-Free Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! There’s no flour, no added sugar, but they’re SO rich and decadent! I like soft, chewy cookies, and these are just that!
Free printable version of our Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake recipe:
This Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake is the best dessert in the whole entire world — seriously, it is that good. (And it's gluten free!)
- 1 bag dried dates 8 ounce bag
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups gluten free flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 350°F and grease 9" round baking pan.
Bring to boil about 2 cups water with 1 bag of dates and 1 tsp baking soda. Reduce heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, cream 1 stick butter with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add 4 eggs, one at a time. (This may turn the mixture slightly lumpy, but don't be alarmed.)
In a separate bowl, sift together 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour with 1 tsp salt. Slowly add to the bowl of wet ingredients along with 1 tsp vanilla extract, mixing as you go.
Drain dates and add to a food processor with 2 TB almond milk. Process until finely chopped.
Add chopped date mixture to batter along with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and blend until well combined.
Pour batter in cake pan and bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
In small saucepan, add 1 stick butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes. (If you start making the sauce while the cake bakes, it should be ready just in time when the cake comes out of the oven.)
Add 1 can coconut milk and continue to cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finally, stir in 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tsp vanilla extract. After the sauce is well mixed, lower heat and reduce for 10 minutes.
Tip: If you're in a hurry - add all sauce ingredients to pan at once and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes.
When cake has finished baking, set pan on cooling rack. While cake is still in pan, poke holes throughout and pour in half of the sauce. Allow sauce to soak through cake.
Flip cake onto a serving platter. Top individual slices with a scoop of ice cream and more dairy free caramel sauce. Best enjoyed warm!
Share this Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake recipe on Pinterest:
Note: I use the term “dairy free” to mean that it is safe for people like me who are lactose-intolerant. This Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake recipe does contain butter, which is technically dairy.
More of our favorite gluten free cake recipes:
Gluten Free Zucchini Cake with Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Seeds
Gluten Free Funnel Cake Recipe
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Last updated on June 13th, 2019 at 03:41 pm
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LaDonna Clark says
June 8, 2015 at 11:48 amCan you Use regular flour instead of glutin free or would that mess up the recipe and would regular milk be ok instead of almond?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
June 8, 2015 at 12:49 pmAbsolutely! Our use of gluten free flour and almond milk are actually modifications of the traditional recipe based on necessity (I can’t have lactose) and preference (we don’t eat a lot of gluten). You can use regular flour and milk in the same amounts for an equally delicious result! 🙂
Hannah says
September 27, 2015 at 9:07 pmWhat can you use instead of coconut milk and how much
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
September 27, 2015 at 11:41 pmHi Hannah, you can use whole milk in the same amount. 🙂
Jasmine says
June 27, 2015 at 9:45 pmDo you think the cake would be good without ice cream? I’m baking 6 smaller cakes for my wedding and wanted to include a GF one.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
June 27, 2015 at 11:24 pmAbsolutely! 🙂
Katie says
July 14, 2015 at 10:53 amCan this be made a few days ahead and reheated?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
July 14, 2015 at 2:20 pmSure, we’ve actually eaten it up to a week later. Just make sure to keep it refrigerated 🙂
Donna says
August 8, 2015 at 12:54 pmI am wondering if there is an error in this recipe…I am attempting to make it now & it says to boil the dates with the baking soda, but doesn’t show any liquid. In the picture there appears to be water in the pot with the dates. Can you please clarify that. Thanks 🙂
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
August 8, 2015 at 1:01 pmHi Donna! Yes, there is water in the pot (the amount doesn’t matter because you will drain later). Sorry if that wasn’t clear from instructions– I will update later today 🙂
Christine says
January 26, 2016 at 5:39 pmDo I pour the sauce on the cake when the sauce is still hot/warm, or should I wait until the sauce is cool?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
January 28, 2016 at 12:06 amYou can pour over the cake while it’s still warm. 🙂
Cynthia says
March 6, 2016 at 10:52 pmHow much butter is “2 sticks?”
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
March 7, 2016 at 5:21 pmHi Cynthia, 2 sticks of butter = 1 cup
Kris says
May 18, 2016 at 4:38 pmI just made not one, but two of these for my husband’s birthday, and as I was reading the part about 1.5 TB (tablespoons) of baking powder, I thought it seemed like a lot. So I scrolled down to double check and saw you had it written in two places. So I added it to the batter. The batter tastes weird, and just now I scrolled to the very top of the page and I see you have 1.5 tsp (teaspoons) baking powder on the list. So now I honk I might have screwed up a ton of cake. Which is it? Thanks!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
May 19, 2016 at 11:46 amHi Kris – A while back I caught that I had put TB instead of tsp, so I went back and changed the recipe, but after reading your comment and looking into it further, I see that I had forgotten to update the printable version (which is updated in a different way than the post itself). I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know and I am so sorry for the confusion!
Yessica says
July 28, 2016 at 3:45 pmI would probably reduce the egg to 2 i can taste it. But it’s not bad for a healthier version.
Megan says
October 30, 2016 at 8:18 pmMy husband and I just recently returned from a trip to Ireland and Sticky Toffee Pudding was one of my favorite dishes there. I couldn’t wait to get home and make it!
I made your recipe tonight and it was very good! Rich and decadent. I did make one adjustment – I replaced the coconut milk with heavy whipping and it turned out great!
Thanks for the recipe!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
October 30, 2016 at 10:22 pmGlad you loved it! Thanks for letting me know you tried it Megan! 🙂
Charlotte Grantham-Hill says
November 29, 2016 at 8:49 amDo you think it would work to substitute the sugar for something like maple syrup?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
November 29, 2016 at 11:25 amHi Charlotte – It is possible that the maple syrup could change the composition of the cake because you’d be adding a liquid instead of a solid. One option is to bake the cake without sugar at all (the dates will still naturally sweeten the cake some) and pour maple syrup over the cake when it’s done baking, like a poke cake.
Sue says
May 10, 2018 at 11:33 amHey Stacey, in Britain, the word “pudding” means dessert. They don’t ask “What’s for dessert?” They ask “What’s for pudding?” So the name of this dish is “Sticky Toffee Pudding” although it is clearly cake. Pudding cake is something else entirely, and in Britain they wouldn’t know what you were talking about!”
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
May 10, 2018 at 12:07 pmHi Sue – thank you for the clarification! I added in “cake” so the meaning would be clear to all of my readers, who might not be familiar with the original terminology (though I realize it’s probably a bit redundant to some). In America pudding means something very different 🙂
Erica Broussard says
July 16, 2018 at 2:08 pmI have made this a few times and love it! I was wondering if I could bake it in small soufflé dishes instead of one pan and if so, how long to bake it?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
July 18, 2018 at 12:30 pmHi Erica – glad you love the recipe! You should be fine to bake in souffle dishes, however start by baking for 10 minutes, then check every 2-3 minutes. We’ve never tried in a small dish like that, so not sure of the exact cook time. Let me know how it goes!
Momma of DF and GF kid says
September 18, 2018 at 12:22 pmWhat can I substitute the butter for to truly make a Dairy-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
September 19, 2018 at 2:58 pmFor the cake, you could substitute vegetable oil. For the caramel, substitute 1 cup coconut milk (add a little cornstarch to thicken it up). Texture-wise it should be pretty close, but it will taste a little different than the butter version. If you try it let me know how it goes and I’ll update with a full-dairy free variation!
Maria G. says
November 17, 2018 at 9:12 amI just returned from a trip to London where I had my first taste of Sticky Toffee pudding. It was the only Gluten Free dessert they offered so I am thrilled to have found this GF recipe and can’t wait to make it.
Your recipe calls for 1 can of coconut milk. What amount is that in cups?
Also I have a family member who is allergic to nuts. Can I substitute regular milk for the almond milk?
Mik says
November 29, 2018 at 9:45 pmDo you think the recipe would work with dairy free butter such as earth balance? I can’t have any dairy! Thanks 🙂
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
November 30, 2018 at 12:28 pmIf it is a butter substitute, it should work fine for the cake. For the caramel, omit the butter and use a little bit of cornstarch to thicken. You might need a little extra sugar. Hope this helps!