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Baked Sticky Rhubarb Pudding

Sticky rhubarb pudding with a moist sponge cake base soaked in quick toffee sauce, studded with diced rhubarb. Baked until set, then poked and poured so the sauce pools into a tender, comforting texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

pudding
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup butter, softened
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cup fresh rhubarb, diced
toffee sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 0.25 cup butter

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Bake the pudding
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish, keeping the dish ready so batter goes in immediately.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
  3. Cream softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
  4. Add the dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated so the sponge stays tender.
  5. Fold in diced fresh rhubarb until the pieces are evenly scattered through the batter.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let the pudding cool for 10 minutes so it firms up slightly before saucing.
Make and soak with toffee sauce
  1. Combine brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens and looks glossy.
  2. Poke holes in the warm pudding so the sauce can soak down into the sponge.
  3. Pour half the toffee sauce over the pudding and let it sink in until the top looks coated.
  4. Serve with the remaining sauce, with vanilla ice cream melted on top if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: poke the holes while the pudding is still warm so the sauce penetrates instead of sitting on top. Store covered in the fridge up to 3 days and reheat briefly to loosen the sauce. Freezing: yes, for up to 1 month, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat. For a lighter swap, use reduced-fat butter and evaporated milk in the sauce while keeping the simmer time the same.