225g chopped dates
300ml tea
110g butter
170g caster sugar
3 eggs
225g self-raising flour
1 teasp bread soda
1 teasp vanilla essence
1 teasp espresso coffee

Toffee sauce
110g butter
175g soft brown Barbados Sugar
110g granulated sugar
10g golden syrup
225ml double cream
½ teasp. Vanilla essence.

20.5 (8 inch) spring form tin with removable base (if possible)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Soak the dates in hot tea for 15 mins. Brush the cake tin with oil and line the base with grease proof paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then fold in sifted flour. Add the sifted bread soda, vanilla essence and coffee to the date and Tea and stir into the mixture. Turn into the lined baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 1 – 1.5 hours or until a skewer comes out clean.

To make your own Toffee sauce, weigh the butter, sugars, and golden syrup into a pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat and slowly stir in 225ml of cream ½ teaspoon of vanilla essence. Put back on the heat and stir for 3 minutes until sauce is absolutely smooth. It keeps for months in a sealed jar in the cupboard and makes anything taste delicious!