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Sticky Date Cupcakes

Spicy date cupcakes filled with dulche de leche caramel centre, topped with swirling caramel Swiss meringue buttercream. Comfort food at it's finest.

Servings 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 2 cups plain flour, sifted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbs golden syrup
  • 1/2 cup castor sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • 1 can dulche de leche (boiled condensed milk) Any store bought caramel can be substituted if desired.

CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups castor sugar
  • 300 grams salted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup dulche de leche or store bought caramel

Instructions

Cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

  2. Line two muffin trays with 18 cupcake liners.

  3. Put dates in a medium saucepan. Add just enough water to cover dates. Simmer for 5 - 10 min or until soft. Set aside.

  4. In a medium bowl, using a hand whisk, mix together eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla bean paste.

  5. Add cooled date mixture and stir carefully.

  6. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, sugars, bicarb soda, baking powder and spices.

  7. Carefully pour wet mixture into dry mix. Whisk until well combined.

  8. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner until 2/3 full.

  9. Bake in a moderate oven for 18 minutes, or until firm to touch.

  10. When cool, use an apple corer to remove the centre of each cupcake. Put dulche de leche into an icing bag and pipe into cupcakes.Top with caramel buttercream.

  11. Caramel swiss meringue buttercream.

  12. In the bowl of an electric mixer, place egg whites and sugar. Put bowl over a medium saucepan filled with an inch of water, like a double boiler. Whisk mixture until well combined. Whisk every couple of minutes until sugar is fully dissolved. This may take up to ten minutes. Check by rubbing mixture between your fingers.

  13. Place bowl onto stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk on high for about five minutes or until stiff peaks form.

  14. Reduce speed to low. Add butter two cubes at a time. Mixture will deflate, look soupy and possibly curdle. This is all normal. Keep mixing until it eventually comes together. This may take around ten minutes.

  15. When the mixture has come together so it is silky smooth, add caramel and mix together for less than a minute, until combined. Pipe onto cupcakes.