The night before place the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer to freeze all the way through. In a blender, combine the ingredients for the ice cream base. Blend until completely smooth. Pour into a shallow dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until chilled all the way through.
While the ice cream base is chilling, make the date caramel sauce. Soak your dates in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse. Remove the pits and tranfer to a blender along with the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate until redy to use.
Add chilled ice cream base to frozen ice cream bowl and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Churn until it becomes thick and resembles soft serve. Stir in the cashews and remove from the ice cream maker.
Transfer to a loaf pan. Spoon caramel sauce over the top and gently swirl it in. Be careful not to mix too much or you will lose the ripple effect. Cover and place in the freezer to let the ice cream to harden all the way through. Allow 5-10 minutes to thaw when removing from the freezer.