
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.
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!