Equipment.

sharp knife & chopping board

large square/rectangular baking tin

baking/parchment paper

a few mixing bowl, jugs and spoons

kettle

medium saucepan

Ingredients.

150g medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped

150ml boiling water

425g self-raising flour

350g demerara sugar

250ml plant milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

120ml veg oil

2 tablespoons black treacle

1 tsp miso paste, or ½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract/bean paste

Dairy-free vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

Toffee Sauce:

175g light muscovado sugar

50g plant-based butter, cut into pieces

Pinch of salt

225ml plant-based double cream

1 tbsp black treacle

Method.

1. Preheat the oven to 180c (fan) and boil the kettle

2. Line a tin with greaseproof paper, using a little oil or vegan butter to help it stick

3. Measure out 150ml boiling water in a bowl/jug and add the dates to it. Set aside for 15mins

4. Add the apple cider vinegar to the milk and set this aside too

5. Meanwhile, sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl

6. In another bowl, whisk together the demerara sugar with the oil. Add the milk mixture and continue to whisk

7. Add the vanilla extract/paste, treacle, baking soda, and miso paste to the dates and mash the mixture with a fork and until it’s a chunky paste consistency

8. Add this paste to the other wet ingredients and mix thoroughly

9. Finally, add half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently to combine. Fold in the final half until fully combined

10. Bake for 40-50mins or until a skewer comes out just clean. Timing will vary depending on the size of your baking tin. Be careful not to overbake, it should be nice and moist

11. Meanwhile, prepare the sticky toffee sauce: Put the light muscovado sugar, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved

12. Stir in the black treacle and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins, still stirring

13. Finally, take the pan off the heat and stir in the rest of the double cream. Transfer to a jug for easy serving

14. Allow the cake to cool slightly before removing from the tin and cutting into portions (9 or 12, depending on how hungry you are!)

15. Serve the hot sauce poured over the warm cake, with a little dairy-free vanilla ice-cream on the side if you fancy! Enjoy.