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Ingredients
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Cake
Toffee Sauce
To Serve
Method
Cake
Prep dates
Place the chopped dates in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the baking soda over the dates, pour the boiling water on top, stir to combine, and let sit for 15 minutes so the dates soften and the mixture becomes syrupy.
Mix batter
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish or divide into six 10–12 oz ramekins for individual puddings. In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and light brown sugar together until pale and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
Combine dry and wet
In a separate bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar-egg mixture until just combined. Stir in the softened date mixture (including any remaining liquid), mixing until evenly distributed. The batter will be fairly thick and sticky.
Bake
Spoon or pour the batter into the prepared baking dish or ramekins and smooth the tops. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes (for a single 8-inch dish) or 18–22 minutes for individual ramekins, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not raw batter). Remove from oven and set aside while you make the sauce. If baking in one dish, let rest 5 minutes before serving; if ramekins, let rest 2–3 minutes.
Toffee Sauce
While the puddings bake (or immediately after removing them), make the sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the dark brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour in the double cream, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes glossy. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Taste and adjust sweetness or salt as desired.
For an extra glossy finish, simmer the sauce a little longer (2–3 more minutes) to reduce further, or thin with a tablespoon or two of cream if it becomes too thick. Keep the sauce warm until serving; if it cools and thickens too much, rewarm gently over low heat, stirring.
To Serve
To assemble, spoon a generous amount of warm toffee sauce over each warm pudding or pour over the whole baked pudding in the baking dish. Serve each portion with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side or on top. Drizzle additional warm toffee sauce over the ice cream. Serve immediately so the ice cream melts slightly into the warm pudding.
Optional finishing: sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over the sauce and ice cream for contrast, or garnish with a few chopped toasted walnuts or a mint leaf if desired.