A moist date sponge cake soaked in a butterscotch toffee sauce, served warm — one of Britain's most-loved desserts, believed to have been popularised in the Lake District in the 1970s.
Soak the dates
Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates, stir in the baking soda, and let it stand until softened, about 10 minutes.
10 minCream butter and sugar
Beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3 minAdd eggs and flour
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the flour and vanilla until just combined.
Fold in the dates
Mash the soaked dates roughly and fold them, with their liquid, into the batter until evenly combined.
Bake the sponge
Pour the batter into a buttered baking dish and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until a skewer comes out clean and the top springs back, about 30 minutes.
30 minMake the toffee sauce
Melt the butter and dark brown sugar together, then stir in the double cream and simmer until glossy and thickened, about 4 minutes.
4 minSoak and serve
Pierce the warm sponge all over, pour half the toffee sauce over it to soak in, and serve the rest warm alongside.
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