Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Measure the hot freshly boiled water (straight from the kettle), pour into a large bowl and add the chopped dates. Stir and leave until lukewarm. Meanwhile, measure out all the other sponge cake ingredients, add to the dates and water and mix together. Put this mixture into the bowl of a food processor and process or pulse until smooth, but with a few tell-tale specks of date still visible.

Step 2

Generously butter a baking dish of at least 2-litre capacity (9 xon all surfaces and pour in the sponge batter. (Note: It is important that the chosen dish will be filled no more than half-full by the mixture, as it rises a great deal during cooking and you will need room to pour over the topping.) Bake for about 30 minutes, or just until firm to the touch.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make both the sticky toffee pudding sauce and the extra sauce by heating the ingredients gently in individual pans, whisking regularly, until they briefly boil, and then smoothly amalgamate. You are making in effect two pans of butterscotch sauce. Set aside the extra sauce.

Step 4

Pour the sticky toffee pudding sauce over the cooked pudding and place under a moderate grill or broiler just until bubbling and sticky looking, roughly 2-3 minutes. Watch this carefully as this doesn't take long.

Step 5

Spoon into individual bowls and pour around the warmed up extra sauce. The remaining cold double cream, even though you might think it redundant, offers a very nice, cooling contrast to all that hot, sticky sponge and sweet sauces. Don't leave it out. Simply pour the cold cream over the sponge cake or whip it first, if preferred, and place it on top of the pudding. Some add vanilla ice cream instead of the cold cream. Your choice. Enjoy!