Ingredients

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, grease and flour a 7 x 10-inch baking dish.

2. Soak the dates in boiling water for 15 minutes to soften.

3. Drain and blend until you get a smooth paste.

4. Add the date paste to a large bowl along with the dark brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, milk and salt. Stir together with a whisk until smooth. Add the baking powder, baking soda and flour.

5. Stir until just smooth.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Make the sauce: Place the sugar, butter and half of the cream into a pot. Place over a medium heat and stir until it comes to the boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened. Take o the heat and stir in the remaining cream.

8. Cut the cake into 8 portions and serve warm with the warm toffee sauce. You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as well.