Preheat the oven to 175 ° C. Pour the boiling water over the dates and the baking soda and let the mixture stand.
Mix the butter and sugar well together. Gradually add the egg, flour and baking powder and at last also the dates with the water.
Pour the dough into well-greased ovenproof ramekins and bake for about 40 minutes, until the mixture is raised and forms a soft crust.
For the toffee sauce, mix the butter with the brown sugar and creme fraiche and simmer for two minutes. Serve the yet warm pudding immediately with the sauce and add, if you wish, vanilla ice cream as topping.