Preheat the oven to 160°C and generously grease a large bundt tin.

Place the dates into a saucepan and cover with the brandy. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Once the dates are soft, blend the mixture until smooth and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the Vanilla Extract and beat for a further few minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Sift the flour and cocoa and add to the egg mixture, beating well. Add the melted chocolate and the blended date mixture and mix well until combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the cream, sugar, NMOU Decadent Hot Chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and allow to melt gently, stirring to combine until smooth and glossy.

Invert the cooled cake onto a serving plate and drizzle over the chocolate sauce. Fill the center with fresh gooseberries and dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Tip: Grease AND flour the bundt tin to prevent the cake from sticking. Only invert the cake once it has cooled in the tin