Make the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 335F (Convection/fan) or 350F (Conventional). Lightly grease 9×9 baking pan (can use 8×8 or a pyrex that holds about 2 qt/2l) with butter. 
2. Place the chopped dates, boiling water and baking soda together in a bowl, stir a bit and leave for 10 minutes
3. Using a whisk or a stand/hand mixer on medium, cream the molasses and butter until well-mixed, then add the brown sugar and continue to mix until smooth. Add the egg and continue beating until fully incorporated, then repeat with second egg.
4. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, add the flour and baking powder and stir it in until the batter is smooth and thick.
5. The dates should be coloring the boiling water mixture, and it has likely cooled a bit by now. Squish them a bit with a fork, then pour the entire mixture into the batter and gently mix in.
6. Scrape the batter into your buttered dish. Bake 27-35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. (My 9×9 took 29 minutes, an 8×8 would likely take 32-35 minutes) While the Cake bakes, make the sauce.

Make the Sauce:

1. In a small-medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, sugar and molasses. Let the butter mostly melt first, then stir gently until the sauce is entirely melty and begins to become smooth. 
2. Stir in the cream. Turn heat up to Medium/Medium-High. When the sauce becomes bubbly, take it off the heat.

Sauce the Cake:

1. Once the cake is out of the oven, poke lots of holes over the entire surface. Then, slowly pour 1/4 of the smooth, hot toffee sauce over the entire surface of the warm cake, making sure it covers every bit and gets to the edges. Leave the sauce to infuse the cake for 20-60 minutes, the longer, the better.
2. Put a cover over the sauce remaining in the pan to keep it warm.
3. Serve slices of cake with more of the warm toffee sauce, and top with cream or ice cream.