I love dates ( both the outing and the fruit) and so love sticky date pudding. Sticky Date {please excuse while I have a mental image a childish giggle of what a sticky date could mean of the outing kind} was the first cake I had when I started going to the first cool cafe in Darwin where I grew up all those years ago. The name of the cafe gone but its sweet introduction of cafe culture forever captured in my mind with that first taste of a sticky date and coffee latte.
So the Sticky Date is special to me it reminds me of my well spent youth and with a bit of time on my hands this afternoon spent thinking of my glorious days of youth I wanted to share the Sticky Date with my boys. However knowing cupcakes are more their thing I prowled the net until I went with this cup cake recipe..Its a bit finicky but worth it and I will admit that I much prefer the sticky date with the caramel sauce as a pudding but there is never a substitute for first loves is there?
What you will need:
1 1/4 cups pitted dates, halved (175 grams)
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
100 g unsalted butter, softened and chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar, measured firmly packed (165 grams)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (225 grams)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Caramel icing
60 g unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, measured firmly packed (110 grams)
1/4 cup pouring cream (60ml)
3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted (120 grams)
Demerara sugar, to decorate (optional) or raw sugar (optional)
How to:
Preheat oven to 180°C Line 18 holes of muffin pans with paper cases. This recipe uses ‘regular’ muffin pan size.
Combine the dates and 1 1/4 cups boiling water in a small saucepan, Bring to the boil over low-medium heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and mash lightly with a potato masher. Stir in the bicarb/baking soda and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Stir in the butter and brown sugar into the warm date mixture until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the eggs until combined.
Sift in the flour and ginger, then fold in with a metal spoon until combined.
Divide the mixture into the paper cases and smooth the mixture over with the back of a spoon.
Bake 15 minutes or until the tops are firm when touched.
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
To make the icing- combine the butter, brown sugar and the cream in a small saucepan over a low heat, stir until the sugar dissolves.
Bring the mixture to just below boiling point, then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and gradually beat in the ising sugar until smooth. Spread the icing onto cakes and decorate by sprinkling with the optional sugar.
{image source from here Iam not a food stylist, photographer nor baker}
