Old Fashioned Date Pudding

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place dates into a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle the soda over the top of them, then pour on the water. Set aside until cool. Mash a bit with a potato masher.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the egg. Add in the date mixture, the flour, and the nuts. Add a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

Pour into a greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake at 350ºF for about 45 minutes or until deep brown and set. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into small squares.

For the sticky date sauce:

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Mash with a fork or potato masher and allow to cool to room temperature. If the sauce gets too thick to pour as it cools, simply add in a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach the proper consistency.

To assemble:

In a 9×13 pan or trifle dish, layer half of the cake pieces.

Top with half of the whipped cream. Now lightly spoon/drizzle half of the date sauce over the top of the whipped cream. Add a layer of sliced bananas, if desired.

Add the remaining cake pieces, then the remaining date sauce, and then top it all with the remaining whipped cream.

Serve with a few more sliced bananas.

Alternatively, you can layer pieces of the cake, cream, date sauce, and bananas in individual glasses.

My idea of bliss on a spoon!