Holy yum yum.

Sometimes really good things happen when you have a British husband. First, you get to hear that sexy British accent every day. Secondly, you get a free pass to go to Europe as much as you like without violating any visa laws. And thirdly, you learn about different customs, traditions and food.

Oh the food.

For some reason the British have a reputation for having ‘bad food.’ I’m not exactly sure where or how that started because between fresh fish ‘n chips, amazing soups and roast, and bread cups instead of rolls, they definitely have amazing food. And amazing desserts.

These little cupcake clouds are called Sticky Toffee Puddings. What makes them a thick and creamy cupcake is that they’re made with dates that you blend into your batter. Since dates are a natural sweetener it also cuts down on the amount of white sugar in the recipe.

Top this all off with an insane maple gaze that makes it all sticky and you have a little piece of British heaven.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Maple Toffee Glaze
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Yields 14 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Brandy
• 8 oz. plump, moist dates (preferably Medjool), halved and pitted
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature

Cupcake Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease standard sized muffin tins, set aside.
• Bring the water, brandy, and dates to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until dates are very soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Let cool 15 minutes.
• In a medium-sized bowl, Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low.
• Add flour mixture to sugar/butter/egg mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of date puree, and beating until just combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among prepared cups.
• Bake, rotating tins halfway through until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 23-25 minutes.
• (Toward the end of baking time, make the glaze).

Glaze Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Glaze Directions

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and maple syrup; stir to combine.
• Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer; cook until sugar has melted and sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Add salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes.
• Keep warm until ready to use.

Putting It All Together:

• As soon as they are removed from the oven, use a toothpick to lift one side of each cupcake so they are all slightly tilted, lifting a cupcake even more with your fingertips, pour 2 tbsp. glaze into each cup, then nudge cupcake back in place. Let cool 10 minutes.
• To finish, invert cupcakes onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or foil); spoon 2 tbsp. over each and let set. Serve immediately.