Ingredients

• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• plus extra for greasing
• 150g/5½oz soft dark brown demerara sugar
• 175g/6oz pitted dried dates
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 free-range eggs
• 200g/7oz self-raising flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 80g/2½oz butter
• 100g/3½oz soft dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tbsp golden syrup

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 2000C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease a 20cm/8in square cake tin with butter and dust with flour.
• Blend the butter and sugar together in a freestanding mixer with a whisk attachment or using a hand-held whisk until fluffy.
• Put the dates and 300ml/10fl oz water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Gradually add the golden syrup
• treacle
• vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Turn the mixer down to a slow speed and add the flour. Once all the ingredients are combined
• turn off the mixer.
• Purée the water and date mixture and add the bicarbonate of soda. Quickly stir this into the batter while it is still hot.
• Once the mixture is combined
• pour it into the buttered and floured cake tin and bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is firm to the touch. Leave the pudding to cool in the tin.
• Meanwhile
• to make the sauce place the cream in a saucepan and add the butter and sugar and melt. Whisk in the syrup and treacle.
• To serve
• cut the pudding into squares and serve with the toffee sauce.