Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.

Place the chopped dates into boiling water and take off the heat. Stir the dates into the water, let them soak for 15 minutes.

While the dates soak, make the cake batter. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, demerara sugar, and brown sugar for 3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing the first one in before adding the next.

Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine, scrape the sides as needed.

When the dates are done soaking, use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.

Add to the cake batter and mix it in fully.

Add the batter to the prepared baking dish and smooth it out. Bake for 25-30 minutes until dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the sauce. Add the butter to a medium-sized saucepan and melt it over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream, brown sugar, and salt, and whisk to combine.

Continue to whisk occasionally until it comes to a simmer. As soon as it begins to simmer, continuously stir for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla, set aside.

When the cake comes out of the oven, take a fork and poke holes all over it.

Pour half of the sauce all over the cake. Let it sit for 15 minutes to absorb the sauce.

Place the broiler on high, and move an oven rack to the second position under the broiler. Place the cake under the broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes until it becomes sticky and bubbly. Make sure to watch it closely, so it doesn’t burn. We are not looking to get any color on the cake, just to caramelize the sauce on top.

You can serve the cake now, let it cool more, or let it cool completely before serving. Serve with more sauce over each slice and whipped cream if desired.