Finely chop the dates and remove stones if needed. Put them in a saucepan with the milk and vanilla extract, and cook on low heat for 10mins until the dates are soft.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan) whilst the date mixture cools a little

Stir 115g of cubed butter and 100g of dark brown sugar into the mixture. Then add the self raising flour, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Stir it through a few times but be careful not to over mix

Grease an 8×8in (or larger) baking tin with the butter, then pour in the mixture and bake for 35-40mins. Test with a cake tester and check that the sponge has started to pull away from the edge of the tin before removing from the oven.

Heat the golden syrup, remaining 100g brown sugar, and remaining 100g butter in a saucepan on low-medium heat for 5 mins, stirring every now and then. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Once cooled, spoon in the coconut cream

Remove the sponge from the tin and cut into 6-9 slices. Pour the sticky toffee sauce over a sponge slice when you're ready to eat. Any leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.