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Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

A take on sticky toffee pudding but with a few changes to make them into a scrumptious celebration cupcake! I have experimented with this recipe a few times until I got it just right. The bicarbonate of soda is used in this recipe to neutralise the acid in the the dried dates. You don't need much just a half a teaspoon is enough. I have also added a teaspoon of ground ginger to the cake mixture as it lifts the flavours without actually tasting of ginger. If you can't get treacle you can use golden syrup instead but I would highly reccomend using treacle if you can. In the absence of treacle you could use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar.

These cupcakes are a little piece of heaven! Let us know you get on, we love seeing your photos on our social media channles.

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Prep Time 35

Cook Time 18

Course Dessert

Servings 20

Equipment

Electric Mixer
bowls
Saucepan
spoon
ice cream scoop
Piping bag
Star piping nozzle
Cupcake cases
Cupcake baking tray
hob
Oven

Ingredients

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

200 g dried chopped dates
50 g boiling water
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200 g salted butter
200 g light brown sugar
2 tbsp treacle
200 g eggs 4 medium
225 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger

Toffee Sauce

80 g salted butter
80 g light brown sugar
2 tbsp treacle
80 g cream

Toffee Buttercream

200 g salted butter
400 g icing sugar
3 tbsp toffee sauce

Instructions

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius
Chop the dates into small pieces. Put the dates and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and soak in the boiling water.
Using an electric mixer on a medium setting cream the butter and sugar together by gradually adding the sugar. Cream together until its really light and fluffy. Then mix in the treacle really well.
In a bowl beat the eggs lightly and then gradually add the mixture. Add the egg mixture a tiny amount at a time and mix really well before adding more.
Mx the plain flour and baking powder and ground ginger together. Add these dry ingredients to the mixture and combine well without over mixing
You are now ready to add the dates to the cupcake batter. Do not drain them fold them in gently making sure they are easily dispersed.
Line your cupcake tray with cupcake liners. This mixture will make approximately 18 cupcakes depending on the size of your liners/cases.
Using an ice cream scoop place a scoop of the mixture into each cupcake case. It should fill the cupcake case to 2/3 of the case.
Bake at 160 degrees for 18 minutes or until cooked right through. Stick in a skewer to test if they are done. When you remove the skewer there should be no sticky mixture on it.

Toffee Sauce

While the cupcakes are baking make the toffee sauce.
In a saucepan over a medium heat melt the butter sugar and treacle together.
Stir the mixture to ensure the sugar is dissolving. It should take about 3 to 5 minutes When there are no grainy bits left the sugar has dissolved. You can then add the cream and mix again over a medium/low heat for 1/2 minutes. It will thicken up a bit but this is a pouring sauce rather than a thick caramel. You know your toffee sauce is done when you scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon and a trail is left behind. Transfer to a jug and leave to cool a little.
When the cupcakes are baked remove them from the oven and pierce little holes in them with a skewer.
Drizzle a small amount of the toffee sauce on each cupcake. Leave them to cool in the cupcake tray.

Sticky Toffee Buttercream

Make sure your butter is at room temperature.
In an electric mixer mix the butter until its smooth.
Gradually add the icing sugar a couple of spoonful's at a time and mix really well.
Mix on medium speed for about 8 minutes. This ensures that the buttercream is not grainy. Mix it until its light and fluffy and looks like freshly whipped cream. The add 3 tablespoons of your cooled toffee sauce and mix again.

Piping the cupcakes

Make sure your cupcakes have cooled before you add the buttercream. This make take up to an hour or more.
Fix your nozzle in the piping bag and then fill it with buttercream.
You are now ready to pipe. Pipe a small swirl of buttercream on top of each cupcake. To finish drizzle each cupcake with some more toffee sauce.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to eat them. 1 to 2 days max, but honestly they will not last that long!