Rich and moist, a date and toffee cake that's topped with extra luscious toffee sauce. This is especially easy because it's baked in one pan instead of individual molds. It's absolutely delicious served warm with ice cream or extra cream.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
Place dates in a bowl, and pour boiling water on top. Add baking soda and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Cream the butter and honey together in a stand mixer until well combined. Add the brown sugar and mix until combined and no lumps remain. Add one egg and beat until well incorporated, then repeat with the second egg
Reducing the speed of the stand mixer, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom if using. Stir until combined and a thick smooth batter forms. Add in the dates with any of their remaining water and fold in until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make the sauce while cake is in the oven.
To make the toffee sauce:
Combine the butter, honey and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, and stir gently until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved. Add the whipping cream, increase the heat to medium and bring sauce to a boil. Once it has started to bubble remove from the heat.
As soon as the cake is out of the oven, poke it all over with a toothpick or skewer, creating small holes. Pour about 1/4 of the warm toffee sauce all over the cake surface until it has an even glaze across the top. Let cake stand 20-30 minutes to soak in the sauce, then sprinkle with sea salt if desired, and serve.
Serve with the remaining toffee sauce on the side, and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.