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1
Preheat the oven to 350.
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2
Butter an 8-by-12-inch glass baking dish.
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3
In a medium heatproof bowl, cover the dates and cinnamon sticks with the boiling water and let stand for 30 minutes.
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4
Drain the dates in a colander and shake off any excess water; discard the cinnamon.
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5
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and vanilla seeds until the mixture is fluffy.
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6
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition.
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7
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda.
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8
Add the dry ingredients to the brown sugar mixture and beat at low speed until blended, then stir in the chopped dates.
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9
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until the date cake is springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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10
In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil with the brown sugar.
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11
Add the butter and stir over moderate heat until melted; keep warm.
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12
Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm date cake.
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13
Drizzle 2 cups of the hot toffee sauce over the cake.
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14
Return the cake to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer, until the toffee sauce is bubbling around the edges but not fully absorbed.
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15
Let the cake cool until most of the sauce has been absorbed, about 1 hour, poking additional holes from time to time to help it absorb more sauce.
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16
Cut the cake into squares and serve with whipped cream and the remaining toffee sauce on the side.
