Sticky Toffee Pudding - dates

Method

• For the pudding (otherwise known as cake in America...not the jiggly cold stuff):
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a broiler safe 9X13 pan.
• Combine dates, baking soda and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a heatproof bowl. Let it stand 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat sugar and margarine (or butter) until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Add flour and baking powder and blend. Add date mixture and beat until blended. Pour into the prepared pan and bake about 30 minutes until golden. When you remove the cake from the oven, change the setting of the oven to 'broil'.
• Towards the end of the bake time, prepare Sauce #1...
• For sauce #1:
• Combine brown sugar, heavy cream and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for about 3-4 minutes. Spread it over the baked cake, put it into the oven and broil it for 30-60 seconds or until bubbly.
• This is where most sticky toffee pudding recipes end. Not mine.
• For sauce #2:
• Combine brown sugar, heavy cream and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside.
• For the pouring custard:
• Combine sugar, salt and cornstarch in a heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in half and half (don't laugh-but after all of this butter and heavy cream I actually use fat free half and half). Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Beat the egg yolk in a heat-proof bowl. Mix about half of the boiled mixture into the egg yolk, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition. Then return the egg mixture to the saucepan and blend well. Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
• Serve pudding (with broiled topping), dousing it with sauce #2 and pouring custard. That is...if you can hangle it!!
• You can make all of this ahead of time. You may have to heat up the sauce a little to spread it on the cake when you're ready to broil.