Lucy M. In traditional English homes, fruit puddings like this apricot delight have been Sunday dinner staples for generations. When I was young, my mother would prepare her famous sticky apricot pudding on rainy weekends, and we’d race home from church knowing something spectacular awaited us. The combination of tangy apricots and sweet syrup created that perfect balance our family craved throughout the cold months. Her recipe came from her Scottish grandmother, who believed every good meal deserved a proper pudding. Now you can experience this comforting slice of British baking history in your own kitchen.
Why You’ll Love this Sticky Apricot Pudding
This pudding hits that perfect sweet spot between incredibly easy and impressively delicious, which honestly feels like cheating but in the best possible way. You’re basically just mixing up a simple cake batter, dumping it over some fruit, and letting the oven do all the fancy work while you sit back and scroll through your phone. The buttery, caramelized topping transforms into this gorgeous, sticky glaze that seeps down into every corner. It’s the kind of dessert that makes people assume you spent hours in the kitchen, when really, you were done mixing in about five minutes.
What Ingredients are in Sticky Apricot Pudding?
This sticky apricot pudding comes together with straightforward pantry staples and just one can of fruit, making it an accessible dessert for any day of the week. The ingredient list is concisely short and uncomplicated, requiring nothing exotic or hard to find. You’ll need basic baking essentials for the cake batter, plus a simple two-ingredient topping that creates all that irresistible stickiness.
For the Pudding:
- 1⅓ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (55g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55g) salted butter, softened
- 1 extra-large egg
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- ⅔ cup (150ml) milk
- 1 × 15-ounce (410g) can apricot halves, drained
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup (55g) salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (55g) demerara sugar
While apricots are called for here, this recipe is wonderfully flexible when it comes to the fruit component. Feel free to swap in whatever canned fruit you have on hand—peaches, pears, or even pineapple would work beautifully. The demerara sugar in the topping adds a lovely toffee-like flavor and extra crunch, but light brown sugar can substitute if that’s what’s in your cupboard. Just make sure your butter for the batter is properly softened to room temperature for easier mixing, while the topping butter should be fully melted.
Add our Marmalade Loaf to your fruit dessert repertoire for more crowd-pleasing options.
How to Make this Sticky Apricot Pudding
- Begin by preheating your oven to 450°F and greasing an 11 x 8-inch ovenproof baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine 1⅓ cups (175g) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup (55g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (55g) softened salted butter, 1 extra-large egg, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, and ⅔ cup (150ml) milk.
- Beat these ingredients together until the mixture reaches a soft, cake batter consistency. The batter should be smooth and pourable but still hold its shape when spread. This base will cook beneath the fruit and create the cake layer of the pudding.
- Spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking dish, then arrange the drained apricot halves from 1 × 15-ounce (410g) can over the top, positioning them cut side down.
- Brush or drizzle ¼ cup (55g) of melted salted butter over the apricots, ensuring even coverage. Sprinkle ¼ cup (55g) of demerara sugar generously over the buttered apricots. This topping is key—the larger crystals of demerara sugar will caramelize in the oven, creating the signature sticky, golden finish.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the top has caramelized to a deep golden brown. The pudding will continue to set slightly as it cools.
- Serve the pudding warm for the best texture and flavor, accompanied by crème fraîche, whipped cream, or ice cream to complement the sticky-sweet apricots and tender cake base.
Sticky Apricot Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Begin by preheating your oven to 450°F and greasing an 11 x 8-inch ovenproof baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine 1⅓ cups (175g) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup (55g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (55g) softened salted butter, 1 extra-large egg, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, and ⅔ cup (150ml) milk.
- Beat these ingredients together until the mixture reaches a soft, cake batter consistency. The batter should be smooth and pourable but still hold its shape when spread. This base will cook beneath the fruit and create the cake layer of the pudding.
- Spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking dish, then arrange the drained apricot halves from 1 × 15-ounce (410g) can over the top, positioning them cut side down.
- Brush or drizzle ¼ cup (55g) of melted salted butter over the apricots, ensuring even coverage. Sprinkle ¼ cup (55g) of demerara sugar generously over the buttered apricots. This topping is key—the larger crystals of demerara sugar will caramelize in the oven, creating the signature sticky, golden finish.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the top has caramelized to a deep golden brown. The pudding will continue to set slightly as it cools.
- Serve the pudding warm for the best texture and flavor, accompanied by crème fraîche, whipped cream, or ice cream to complement the sticky-sweet apricots and tender cake base.
Notes
Is Sticky Apricot Pudding a Healthier Dessert Option?
Sticky apricot pudding is undeniably indulgent, containing significant amounts of sugar, butter, and cream in both the sponge and toffee sauce. A typical serving provides 400-500 calories with high saturated fat and sugar content. However, the addition of apricots does offer some nutritional value, including fiber, vitamin A, and natural fruit sugars compared to traditional versions. The toffee sauce in sticky apricot pudding is the main calorie contributor, made from butter, brown sugar, and double cream. While delicious, this makes apricot pudding a special occasion treat rather than an everyday dessert. The dates or apricots used in the sponge do provide some minerals like potassium and iron, offering slightly more nutrition than plain cakes. That said, sticky apricot pudding can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet when consumed occasionally and in moderate portions. Consider sharing a serving, using reduced-fat cream, or serving smaller portions with Greek yogurt instead of extra sauce. The dried apricots in apricot pudding make it marginally better than some desserts nutritionally, but it remains a high-calorie, high-sugar treat best reserved for special moments rather than regular indulgence.Is Sticky Apricot Pudding a Healthier Dessert Option?
Sticky apricot pudding is undeniably indulgent, containing significant amounts of sugar, butter, and cream in both the sponge and toffee sauce. A typical serving provides 400-500 calories with high saturated fat and sugar content. However, the addition of apricots does offer some nutritional value, including fiber, vitamin A, and natural fruit sugars compared to traditional versions.
The toffee sauce in sticky apricot pudding is the main calorie contributor, made from butter, brown sugar, and double cream. While delicious, this makes apricot pudding a special occasion treat rather than an everyday dessert. The dates or apricots used in the sponge do provide some minerals like potassium and iron, offering slightly more nutrition than plain cakes.
That said, sticky apricot pudding can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet when consumed occasionally and in moderate portions. Consider sharing a serving, using reduced-fat cream, or serving smaller portions with Greek yogurt instead of extra sauce. The dried apricots in apricot pudding make it marginally better than some desserts nutritionally, but it remains a high-calorie, high-sugar treat best reserved for special moments rather than regular indulgence.
Sticky Apricot Pudding Substitutions and Variations
You can switch up this pudding recipe in countless ways, and honestly, that’s half the fun of making it. Try pears, peaches, or even pineapple instead of apricots—whatever’s lurking in your pantry works. I like adding a handful of fresh berries on top before baking, which makes it look fancy without any extra effort. Want it richer? Swap half the milk for heavy cream. Feeling adventurous? Toss in some warm spices like cinnamon or cardamom. You could even drizzle caramel sauce over the finished pudding, though at that point, who are we kidding about restraint?
What to Serve with Sticky Apricot Pudding
How do you make a warm, sticky pudding even better? Pour over something cold and creamy, that’s how. I’m talking vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or custard, the holy trinity of pudding accompaniments. The contrast between hot and cold, sticky and smooth, creates this moment where everything just works. Some people serve it with a drizzle of extra cream on the side, which feels fancy but honestly just means more richness. Coffee pairs beautifully here too, cutting through all that sweetness. Trust me, naked pudding is fine, but dressed pudding is unforgettable.
Final Thoughts
When the pudding comes out of the oven all golden and bubbling, with that caramelized sugar topping crackling at the edges, it’s hard not to feel a little smug. This is the kind of dessert that makes you look like you know what you’re doing in the kitchen, even if you’re secretly winging it. The apricots get all jammy, the cake stays tender, and that buttery demerara crust? Worth every single calorie. It’s comfort food that actually delivers on the promise, no fancy equipment required, just simple ingredients doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.
