b'Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce & Sour Cream Ice CreamGALE GANDServes 8 to 10British sweets have the most wonderful names, like Crundle Pudding, Gooseberry Fool, Blackberry Crumble, Lardy Cakes and Plum Heavies. Sticky Toffee Pudding is a classic from the Lake District way up in the north of England, where it gets bitterly cold, and the term sticky is the highest praise such a pudding can receive. This is a very moist date cake that is baked and then soaked with butterscotch sauce, and finally baked again to caramelize the brown sugar.The sour cream ice cream is the perfect foil for berries and stone fruits in the spring and summer, or apple and caramel desserts in the fall and winter. I love the tanginess the sour cream adds to what might otherwise be just plain old vanilla ice cream.FOR THE CAKE:X pound dates, pitted and roughly chopped (You can use kitchen scissors to do this.)2V cups water2 teaspoons baking soda8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces1C dcups C&H or Domino Sugar4 eggs2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract3W cups all-purpose flour, sifted2 teaspoons baking powderFOR THE SAUCE:2W cups C&H Golden Brown Sugar or Domino Light Brown Sugar7 tablespoons unsalted butter1 cup half-and-half1 teaspoon brandyW teaspoon pure vanilla extractFOR THE SOUR CREAM ICE CREAM (YIELDS 3 TO 4 CUPS ICE CREAM, OR 8 SERVINGS):2 cups sour cream1 cup half-and-half2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice1 cup plus 2 tablespoons C&H or Domino SugarV vanilla bean, scraped, or V teaspoon pure vanilla extract66'