Sticky toffee pudding

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease a 2.5 litre ovenproof dish and set aside. Put the dates in a bowl and cover with 275ml hot water. Sprinkle in the bicarbonate of soda and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Beat the butter and sugars together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the eggs, beating well between each addition.
3. Sift over the flour and baking powder and fold in, then mix in the date mixture with its water. The mixture will be very wet but don’t worry. Pour into the greased dish and bake for 30-35 minutes until the sponge is just coming away from the sides of the dish.
4. Meanwhile make the sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the sugars and vanilla pod, then stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cream and bring up to a vigorous simmer, then bubble for 5 minutes.
5. Once the pudding is done, pour over the hot toffee sauce and serve in generous portions.