This week I've been working my way through my enormous collection of cookery books looking for different dinner inspiration. (Ideally) healthy but hearty for the cold weather. Finding a keeper is so satisfying and we particularly enjoyed Jamie Oliver's Mexican Fish Tacos - well worth going to the effort of making the pineapple salsa :)
Yesterday we had Nutella Macarons and Vanilla Macarons with Love Hearts. But today it's Friday and we need a little cake love. I wanted to make some little Sticky Toffee Cakes with Dulce De Leche Frosting and Salted Caramel Sauce. The cake itself can be a cupcake but I made little round cakes. They are filled with pieces of dates and made with dark muscavado sugar to give a real intensity of flavour. The topping itself is extremely indulgent. Added to the icing sugar, we have cream cheese, butter and dulce de leche and this makes a beautifully soft, creamy and rich buttercream. Then the cakes are finished off drizzled with salted caramel which is so delicious, you can eat it with a spoon straight from the bowl (shhh...nobody needs to know, right?)
To make the cakes, I used a mini sandwich tin so each cake has a straight side. You could make one large cake and cut out rounds to get the same effect or bake them as cupcakes if you prefer. Firstly, the dates need to be soaked for around 15 minutes to make them lovely and soft so your bowl of dates needs to be covered with boiling water, then the dates broken into small pieces. The cake batter is made in the usual way (method below) and once the flour has been added, the dates are stirred through. It is easy to overcook these so err on the side of caution and check them after 15 minutes, then keep an eye on them if they're not quite ready.
Whilst the cupcakes are cooking, we make a sugar syrup. You can miss this stage if you like but I think it helps adds a moistness to the cake. It's a simple sugar solution made with caster sugar and water and this is brushed over the top of the cakes whilst they're still warm in their tins.
The cakes are topped with a rich buttercream. The icing sugar and butter are beaten together and then the cream cheese is added. When this is beaten to a smooth consistency, the dulce de leche is stirred through until just combined. This needs time to set a little in the fridge - I've made cream cheese frosting before which is too soft to pipe and setting it in the fridge for a half hour really helps. You will need to beat the buttercream again when it comes out of the fridge and then it can be piped or spread on to the top of each cake.
The salted caramel needs to cool down before being added to the top of the cakes otherwise it will melt the frosting so you can make it at the same time as the cakes and leave it at room temperature. The golden syrup and sugar are melted in a saucepan and then the butter, cream and salt are stirred in. And allowed to cool to room temperature. Delicious does not do this justice!
The salted caramel is best poured over the cakes as you're ready to serve them - and then the cakes served with a bowl of the caramel sauce on the side for extra helpings (it's that good). The frosting really is rather sweet and rich but pairs well with the cake itself.
The boys had friends over tonight and they inhaled a cake each. They would have had seconds.
I think it was the frosting and caramel sauce that really made these - they didn't realise there was something as healthy as dates in them :)
Sticky Toffee Cakes
Makes 18 cakes
Sticky Toffee Cake
Cake Ingredients
- 150G DATES
- 1 1/2 TSP VANILLA
- 130G BUTTER
- 240G DARK MUSCAVADO SUGAR
- 290G SELF-RAISING FLOUR
- 1 1/2 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA
- 1/4 TSP CINNAMON
- 1/4 TSP PUMPKIN SPICE (you can use allspice if you don't have this)
- 3 LARGE EGGS
Sugar Syrup Ingredients
- 75g CASTER SUGAR
- 75ML WATER
Cake Method
- Place the dates in a bowl and cover them with boiling water until they're just covered
- Lightly grease the cavities of the cake tin
- Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees (fan)
- After 20 minutes, cut the dates into small pieces
- Place the butter and sugar in a freestanding mixer and beat until smooth and pale
- Whisk the eggs lightly and add them slowly to the mixture with the mixer on medium speed
- Sift the flour, bicarb and spices over the top of the bowl and then fold in gently with a spatula
- Stir through the dates
- Fill each cavity until it's 2/3 full
- Bake for 15 minutes and then check them - you want a skewer inserted in the middle to come out clean - they may need a few minutes longer but be careful not to overcook them
- Whilst they're in the oven, make your sugar syrup
- Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan and then leave to simmer for a few minutes until all the sugar has dissolved
- Leave to cool
- When your cupcakes are out of the oven, leave to cool in their tins for 10 mins
- Then brush the top liberally with the sugar syrup, remove them from their tins and leave to cool on a cooling rack
Dulce De Leche Frosting & Salted Caramel Sauce
Dulce De Leche Frosting Ingredients
- 200G UNSALTED BUTTER
- 500 ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
- 200G FULL-FAT CREAM CHEESE (don't be tempted to buy the light varieties here)
- 140G DULCE DE LECHE
Caramel Sauce Ingredients
- 100G LIGHT SOFT BROWN SUGAR
- 50G GOLDEN SYRUP
- 75G UNSALTED BUTTER
- 75ML DOUBLE CREAM
- 1 TSP SEA SALT
Dulce De Leche Frosting & Caramel Sauce Method
- To make the frosting, beat the unsalted butter and icing sugar until smooth and creamy
- Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth
- Stir through the dulce de leche until thoroughly combined
- Place in the fridge for 30 mins before using
- To make the salted caramel sauce, place the sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan with a tablespoon of water
- Bring it just to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes
- Add the butter, cream and sea salt in one go and stir for another minute until everything is melted and fully incorporated
- Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature
- When the cupcakes are cool and the frosting chilled, remove it from the fridge and beat it again
- Either pipe the frosting or spread it on the top of the cakes
- Top with drizzles of the salted caramel sauce (attempting not to eat spoonfuls of it along the way!)