Ingredients
1 tbsp melted butter to grease
250 g pitted dates, chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup boiling water
125 g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1¾ cups self-raising flour
Toffee sauce
1 cup brown sugar
300 ml thickened cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
60 g butter
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 29 x 24cm slice tin with melted butter and line with baking paper. Put dates and bicarbonate of soda in a medium bowl. Pour over boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes or until dates are softened.
- Put butter, brown sugar and vanilla in the small bowl of an electric mixer and beat, using paddle attachment, until light and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour and stir until combined. Fold through date mixture using a large metal spoon. Pour into prepared tin. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, to make toffee sauce, put all ingredients in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cut slice into rectangles and drizzle with toffee sauce. Serve.
