Preheat your oven to 160°C, and grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.

Place the dates, boiling water and pecan nuts in a saucepan and cook until the dates soften and start to break down. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk the eggs until fluffy, then whisk in the melted butter and date mixture. Add the cake mix and mix until just combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared tin and bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the sauce. Place the cream, sugar and butter in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture becomes light brown in colour. Remove from the heat and pour over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then serve the sticky toffee pudding with generous scoops of ice cream.

Tips: You can use either fresh Medjool dates or a block of pitted dates for this recipe. A standard oven dish can also be used instead of a square tin if you prefer.