Chocolate Cuppins with Caramel Frosting, A Giveaway from The Date Lady
I love browsing at the grocery store. I know, I know, it’s weird. I hear people say often they dread grocery shopping. I actually look forward to going to the store alone, pushing my cart around, checking out all of the things I’ve never tried, seeing what produce looks great, what’s on sale. It’s my happy place, a store packed full of food with so many possibilities, so much goodness just waiting to be created in those aisles!
While at Nature’s Pantry recently, I spotted date syrup from The Date Lady. I’m a big fan of anything made with dates so of course I bought it. While waiting in the check-out line, I noticed it was made just down the road a few hours in Springfield, Missouri! I’m excited about a local product that’s full of all sorts of goodness and contains none of the not-so-goodness. I’m even more excited to share it with you!
So what’s one do with date syrup? Well, about a million things. My favorite is as a topping for waffles, it’s better than any syrup I’ve ever had. And The Date Lady caramel sauce is the most decadent ice cream topping I’ve ever had. If you told me there was a way to make caramel sauce dairy-free and more flavorful than the “regular” sauce, I would not have believed you. Then I tried The Date Lady’s caramel sauce. Unbelievably rich, yet it contains no ingredients that I worry about eating. Just good stuff here, folks.
Surely it’s no surprise I decided to bake with the date syrup, to use that amazing caramel sauce in a dessert. AND thanks to the kind folks at The Date Lady, you can enter my giveaway so you can bake these at home! Or top your waffles or ice cream or eat it on a spoon from the jar. Yep, I did that. You’ll find the entry information at the bottom of the post. The winner will receive a jar each of the date syrup AND the caramel sauce!
I baked up chocolate cupcakes, except they are just dense enough to be a muffin, a really sweet muffin. Cupcake + muffin = cuppin. Then I frosted them with a classic American buttercream with a hint of caramel. These are definitely more cupcake than muffin when frosted, but unfrosted you might be able to pass it off as a muffin. These are great either way!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Johnna’s Gluten-free flour blend
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder (don't skimp on this, buy a good one like Askinosie.)
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. fine sea salt
- 1 t. guar gum
- 1 jar Date Lady date syrup
- 2 T. flax meal, added to 6 T. hot water to make a slurry (this is an egg replacement)
- 1 container, 6 oz., So Delicious Greek Style Vanilla cultured coconut milk or other non-dairy yogurt
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 T. vanilla (I know it sounds like a lot, trust me on this one)
- 2 t. instant coffee (I use the Trader Joe's variety)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners for 18 cupcakes.
- In bowl of stand mixer, mix the Date Lady date syrup, flax meal slurry, So Delicious cultured coconut milk (the yogurt-y stuff), non-dairy milk, grapeseed oil, vanilla extract and instant coffee. Mix just until well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour blend, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and guar gum.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer bowl. Mix on low until combined. Repeat two more times, incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet. There's no need to over-mix, just mix until it's combined.
- Fill each well of the muffin tins with a scant 1/3 cup of batter. Place in oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees. Close the door. Turn the temperature down to 325 degrees. Bake for 20-22 minutes. A cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean when they are done. (The temperature instructions will result in a slightly better dome on top of the cupcake. If you like a very flat or concave cupcake top, bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.)
Ingredients
- 3 sticks Earth Balance non-dairy butter substitute
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup Date Lady caramel sauce
Instructions
- In bowl of stand mixer, cream Earth Balance until fluffy.
- One cup at a time, add in sifted powdered sugar. Mix until each cup is incorporated before adding another.
- Once the sugar is well combined with the Earth Balance, add the Caramel Sauce. Turn mixer onto high and let it mix for about 5 minutes. Frosting will be fluffy.
- Top cupcakes using your preferred method. I use a piping bag and large tip, but this frosting works just as well with the traditional knife frosting technique.
You can win goodies from The Date Lady! Make your own Chocolate Cuppins with Caramel Buttercream Frosting! The Date Lady will send the winner one jar each of her delectable date syrup and the decadent caramel sauce. Just enter below, lots of ways to earn more entries and increase your chances of winning!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: The Date Lady provided date syrup and caramel sauce for use in developing the above recipe. The opinions expressed are my own.
