Icky Sticky Date Pudding

500g pitted dates
500ml water
120g butter
280g SR flour
1 tspn bicarb soda
280g sugar
3 eggs
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 cup cream
1 cup water

Put dates and water in a saucepan and simmer until dates are soft. Add butter and stir through until melted, take off heat. Sift flour and bicarb together and add sugar. Mix date mixture and eggs (lightly beaten) with vanilla essence into flour mixture. Turn into greased and floured 30 x 230cm dish. Bake at 180C for 30-40 mins or until cooked. Mix remaining sauce ingredients in a saucepan, stir over heat until melted. Boil 5 mins.