Sunday 20 December 2009

Date cupcakes for Christmas



I wanted to bake cupcakes suitable for Christmas, the only problem was to find a good recipe, and a recipe that seemed to be interesting. When I couldn't find one, I decided to make it myself. I love dates and we had a lot of them in the kitchen cupboard, that's why I finally made these lovely, lovely and addicting date cupcakes with créme fraîche glazing. The outcome was excellent. For the cupcake dough I used an ancient datecake recipe, a bit modified. The glaze I made up myself, and I'm quite proud of the whole combination, it was so wonderful. You know I've always thought that only chocolate can "take you to heaven", but these date cupcakes verify the fact that date can do that as well. I wish you enjoyable moments with these cupcakes (like I very much had) and be careful, you might get addicted!

Ingredients:
makes about 25
For the cupcake dough:
400g dates (remove the seeds or use seedless)
240 ml water
240 ml white sugar (you could add less, because the dates are so sweet)
240 ml white flour
2 eggs
200g salted butter
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:
200g créme fraîche
1 dl dates, chopped into very tiny chunks
5 dl powdered sugar
1/2 dl milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
25g melted butter

For the decoration:
25 sliced seedless dates

To make the dough:
1. Chop the dates with scissors into very tiny chunks (the smaller the chunks are the better the dough will become). Put the chopped dates into a big kettle with water and sugar. Boil the mixture to soften the dates, about 5-10 minutes. Take away from the heat. 

2. Cool down the mixture a bit, add the butter and then the eggs (first break them in a cup). Be careful not to add the eggs into a too hot mixture, because the egg whites might congeal). Mix well.

3. Mix the dry ingredients with each other and add them into the date mixture, mix well. 

4. Deal the dough into about 25 cups (it depends on the size of the cup, I had quite small cups). Leave some space for them for the rising, fill about 3/4 of the cups. 

5. Bake in the 200°C oven for 10-15 minutes, or until ready. Cool down before adding the glaze on top. 

To make the glaze:
1. Mix the créme fraîche, tiny date chunks, milk, lemon juice, melted butter and powdered sugar together in a bowl, mix well to create a smooth glaze. With spoon, put about two spoonfuls on top of the cupcakes. 

2. Then decorate with sliced dates. Enjoy! And remember to store them in the fridge. 

15 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I just adore dates... You are right! I could very well get addicted to these cupcakes... :)

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  2. wow...such a welcoming recipe - love it and would like a few right now...thanks for sharing this one...

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  3. Thank you for your nice comment!

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  4. These look wonderful. Great idea. I've found it helpful to add a tiny bit of baking soda to dates when I am softening them in boiling water. The dates soften very quickly. Perhaps it would be a good thing to do for this recipe?

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  5. Thanks! Yep, it might be a good idea, I could try that next time! The dates I used were quite soft, so I didn't have problems with them but when using dry and hard dates it would be a good thing to do.

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  6. Wow, those look fabulous. I don't think I've cooked with dates before.

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  7. OMG these look just divine! I would love my hand at your creation because I too dream of dates, but I am not sure where to purchase creme fraiche.

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  8. Thanks! I really recommend using dates, these cupcakes are so good that I'm really addicted, I must make them again! I think you'll love them too! It's a pity if you can't find creme fraiche, but you could use sour cream instead of it, I think it would work well!

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  9. What a coincidence, this is what my friend exactly made yesterday. It tasted really good. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. These look wonderful! I love dates but really don't want to go through all the work of a steamed pudding.

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  11. Thanks! How nice Victor that your friend has made these!

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  12. Luscious looking with that glaze and seem much easier than some versions of dry fruit desserts.

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  13. Thanks, and I must say it's very easy!

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  14. they look so yummy, and your photos are great !

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