Sticky toffee pudding cupcakes.

Every time my Dad goes skiing (which is becoming fairly often), Mum and I treat ourselves to dinner at our favourite restaurant, a small bistro pub down the road called The Greenman; which also happens to be where I waitress.

After our main course plates have been cleared, the employees need no longer ask what we want for dessert, as the reply is always the same: sticky toffee pudding.

This restaurants STP is absolutely to die for, so I decided to transfer such an indulgent dessert into a more snacksize, but equally satisfying treat. Hence, sticky toffee cupcakes!

I faced many challenges whilst making these, the foremost of which was not eating all the Dulce de Leche straight from the jar!

(Recipe credit to Hummingbird Bakery, once again!)

180g pitted and chopped dates
180ml boiling water
80g unsalted butter
150g light brown sugar
2 eggs
180g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
160g unsalted butter (for the icing)
500g icing sugar (for the icing)
50ml whole milk (for the icing)
100g dulce de leche (for the icing)

Put the chopped dates in a bowl and cover them with the boiling water. Set them aside to soak for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cupcake batter. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius and line two cake tins with cupcake cases.

Beat the butter and sugar together with a handheld electric mixer until soft and fluffy. Break the eggs into the mixture one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Sift the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture in three additions, folding the flour in well between each addition.

Finally, add the soaked dates and the vanilla extract to the batter. If there is lots of excess liquid on the dates than drain this off before adding the dates.

Bake for 18-20 minutes before removing from the oven, transferring to a wire rack and leaving to cool.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing. Beat together the butter and icing sugar, then add the milk and beat well. Next, stir in the dulce de leche. Pipe swirls of the icing onto the cupcakes.

*The hummingbird bakery advise decorating with chopped up pieces of date, but instead I deocrated with thorntons mini fudge chunks. Also, for an extra caramel kick, scoop out a little of the inside of the cupcake and fill with a teaspoon of dulce de leche, then replace the lid, before icing. (that is, if you haven't eaten all the dulce de leche!)

Enjoy!