Preheat oven to 180°C.
For the sticky toffee pudding, heat the milk in a saucepan and bring to the boi
Remove from the heat, add the dates, cover with a lid and leave aside for 15 minutes.
In the mean time, in a large bowl, mix together wholewheat flour, coconut sugar baking powder and baking soda.
Using a fork, roughly mash the dates whilst still in the milk into small bits.
Transfer date mix, rapeseed oil and vanilla extract to the flour and beat into a smooth batter.
Scoop into a 20 x 20 cm square tin lined with greaseproof paper.
Bake for 30 minutes.
When the cake is cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool in tin.
For the caramel, add milk, vanilla extract and dates to a blender. Blitz until smooth and no bits remain.
This step is optional – add date caramel to a saucepan along with coconut sugar and rapeseed oil. Bring to a boil then simmer for 4-5 minutes before removing from heat.
Using a cocktail skewer, make several holes on the surface of the cake and pour half of the caramel on top, covering the entire surface of the cake.
Pour the remaining caramel over each slice before serving.