Cake:

Take 2 1/4 of dried dates, pit them, and roughly chop them. Place them in a heatproof bowl like glass or stainless steel.

Add 2 1/4 cups of boiling water over the chopped dates, and stir in 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350F (175 C). Grease or butter a 9" x 13" pan and line it with a fitted piece of parchment paper.

After the dates have sat in hot water for 30 minutes, puree the mixture date-water mixture in a blender or food processor until it's smooth.

In a large bowl, combine 1 stick of melted unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 2 tbsp dark brown sugar. Whisk in 2 eggs. Then add in 1/4 tsp salt, 1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour, and the pureed dates. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake in the preheated oven at 350 F (175 C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the surface springs back when gently pressed. Let the cake cool in the pan on a metal rack.

To serve it rustic-style, as we did, let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack. If you’d like to transfer it later to a serving plate, let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then flip it out onto a cooling rack, removing the parchment paper if you used it.

Sticky Toffee Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, add 1 stick of unsalted butter, 1 cup of heavy cream, and 1 cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar. Heat this over medium heat while whisking to mix them together.

When it starts to simmer, cook it down for another 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.

Remove it from the heat, and stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp of bourbon and 1 tsp of kosher salt.

To serve: cut the cake into squares, drizzle with the sticky toffee sauce, sprinkle a dash of additional kosher salt, and serve whipped cream. Enjoy!