1 cup + 1 tbsp (220g) muscovado or dark brown sugar
2 extra-large eggs (110g), room temperature
1 cup (275g) date paste
Toffee soaker: 4⅓ cups + 1 tbsp (1000g) heavy cream
⅔ cup + ¼ cup (180g) palm sugar or cane sugar
¼ cup + 1 tbsp (100g) Lyle's Golden Syrup or maple syrup
2¾ tsp (10g) fine sea salt
Chocolate syrup: ½ cup + 1 tbsp (125g) cream
1⅔ cups + ¼ cup (375g) sugar
2⅔ cups + 1 tbsp (625g) water
2 cups + 2 tbsp (300g) ground 70% dark chocolate
Double cream: 2¼ cups (500g) mascarpone
2 cups + 3 tbsp (500g) heavy cream
⅚ cup + 1 tbsp (100g) confectioners sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
Recipe
Make date paste: soak dates in boiling water 2 hours, then purée in a food processor or chop very finely.
Make the cakes: preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray ramekins or muffin tins. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream butter and muscovado sugar until fluffy. Add eggs slowly. Add flour mixture until almost homogenous. Add date paste. Fill each mold with about 85g batter. Bake 18–24 minutes until a skewer comes out with a slight crumb.
Make toffee soaker while cakes bake: combine cream, palm sugar, golden syrup, and salt in a pot; bring to a boil, stirring to prevent scorching, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Unmold warm cakes; pierce each with a skewer multiple times. Place in a baking dish and soak generously with warm toffee soaker, making several passes. Pour remaining soaker into the dish, wrap tightly, and cool completely (preferably overnight in the fridge).
Make chocolate syrup: bring cream, sugar, and water to a boil. Whisk in chocolate until melted. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Make double cream: whip mascarpone, heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form.
To serve: bring cakes to room temperature, spooning extra soaker over to glaze. Fill the bottom of shallow bowls with chocolate syrup. Place one cake in each bowl and finish with a dollop of double cream.
