Prune Sticky Toffee Pudding
A tempting recipe from Anna Voloshyna
About a month ago, I was scrolling on instagram, as I’m wont to do, and I saw this recipe by Anna Voloshyna that stopped me in my tracks. I knew immediately that I wanted to take it for a spin and share it with my Susanality readers. Oddly enough, I had never made a sticky toffee pudding in all my years, which was another great reason to try it. It also seemed like the perfect thing to make while we were truly snowed in after more than a foot of snow fell.
I loved the non-traditional addition of prunes here too. That’s what really caught my eye. I know prunes sometimes get a bad rap, but I am not sure why! They’re just dried plums! Sunsweet tried to improve their reputation a few years back by rebranding them as such, but alas, it didn’t work, and they went back to calling them prunes. I love them, and their slight tartness adds a welcome contrast to the sweetness of this comforting dessert.
Anna is a Ukrainian-American culinary storyteller, activist, and cookbook author whose recipes draw from her Ukrainian upbringing, blending tradition with modernity. Her new cookbook, Ukraïne: Recipes and Stories from Kyiv to the Black Sea, will be out in October, and is available for preorder now.
An interview with Anna Voloshyna
SUSAN SPUNGEN: How long have you lived in the U.S., and what brought you here?
ANNA VOLOSHYNA: I moved to the United States in 2011, following my husband’s job in tech. We settled in the Bay Area and, over time, it truly became home. What started as a practical move turned into something life altering. We stayed for the weather, of course, but also for the incredible produce, the farmers markets, and the vibrant restaurant scene. California has this unique energy: creative, open, and very connected to food and seasonality. It’s shaped the way I cook and the way I see ingredients. I honestly can’t imagine living anywhere else in the United States as happily as I do in California.
SS: Tell us a little about your new book, Ukraïne.
AV: Ukraïne is the book I always wanted to write. It took three years and three trips back home to complete. It’s larger in scope and more layered than my first cookbook, BUDMO!, which I still love dearly. This one feels deeper, more personal, and more ambitious.
It’s a travelogue as much as it is a cookbook—my attempt to show Ukraine through the lens of food, and through the people and places that shape it. The idea came after Russia’s full-scale invasion. I was afraid that in war, our culinary heritage could disappear, that our history might be erased. I felt an urgency to return, to document and preserve. But what I found was unexpected. It wasn’t about preserving something fading—it was about witnessing something evolving. Ukraine’s food scene wasn’t shrinking; it was growing, developing, blossoming. The cooking I encountered was vibrant, bold, creative, and unmistakably Ukrainian. That’s what I wanted to capture on these pages. I believe the book holds a strong balance—honoring traditional dishes while celebrating the new wave and our culinary future
SS: Is your cooking a hybrid of your Ukranian heritage and your California lifestyle? How do you bring Eastern European flavors into your everyday cooking?
AV: That’s a great question. Living in California truly expanded my horizons in terms of ingredients and flavors beyond anything I imagined. The variety and quality of produce here are incredible, and that abundance naturally influences the way I cook.
At the same time, my style remains rooted in my Ukrainian heritage and the food I grew up with. I’m still fairly conservative when it comes to spices. I lean toward herbs and toward the bold, clean flavors of fermentation, smoking, curing, and pickling—techniques that are central to Eastern European cooking and I use them all the time. So in my everyday cooking, I try to honor local California ingredients while using the methods and sensibilities I learned in Ukraine. The result feels fresh and vibrant, but also grounded and familiar—food that’s interesting without being too confusing.
SS: What do you miss the most about Ukraine, and do you have any thoughts you want to share about the ongoing war there?
AV: You might be surprised to hear this, but even during war, Ukraine is an incredibly vibrant, alive place to be. While working on my new cookbook, I traveled the country more than I ever did when I lived there, and most importantly, I met extraordinary people along the way. If not for this project, our paths might never have crossed. But it didn’t feel random. We found each other because we’re united by something powerful: love for our country. Each of us carries a sense of responsibility, a mission to help Ukraine in whatever way we can. And everyone is doing something, contributing, little by little, to our future. That cookbook gave me way more than just recipes and stories. It gave me friendships. I miss those people deeply—cooking side by side, gathering around the table, drinking Ukrainian wine, and laughing late into the night. I miss those connections most of all.
SS: Lastly, what was your inspiration for this recipe? The prunes, with their slightly tart flavor were the perfect addition to this classic recipe.
AV: I just love prunes, honestly. The idea started after I had an incredible sticky toffee pudding at Dingle’s in San Francisco. That deep caramel flavor, the warmth, the softness, stayed with me. When I got home, I realized I had a bag of prunes sitting in my pantry, and it felt like the perfect opportunity to experiment. Prunes have that natural sweetness but also tartness, and I knew they would bring balance to a rich, classic dessert like this. They add depth without making it heavy, and they keep everything beautifully moist. It turned out even better than I imagined—very comforting and just sweet enough.
