1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 8 inch baking dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the chopped dates and baking soda. Pour the boiling water over the dates and let them sit for about 15 minutes until softened. Once soft, mash the dates.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well.
4. Add flour, baking powder, and ground spices. Beat just until combined.
5. Fold in the softened dates along with the water they were soaked in.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While the pudding is baking, prepare the toffee sauce. See recipe below.
9. Once the pudding is done baking, poke holes in it using a skewer or fork. Pour about half of the toffee sauce over the warm pudding, allowing it to soak in.
10. Serve the sticky toffee pudding warm, drizzled with additional toffee sauce. Optionally, you can serve it with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Toffee Sauce

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, diced apples, ground cinnamon, butter, and heavy cream. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.