Date and Walnut Cupcakes Recipe

These are two of the cupcakes using the latest date and walnut cupcakes recipes. I have topped these off with a combination of butter cream made with half unsalted butter and half icing or confectioners sugar. I mixed it with a fork and then I could spread it with a knife or put it into a piping bag to have a little more control and go for some decorative designs.
I also recommend that you add a teaspoon of syrup from a jar of stem ginger to the butter cream. This may be too sweet for some tastes along with butter cream.
I suggest the cupcake could be topped with creme fraiche or natural yogurt and some syrup added to these . It would be far less sweet and more suitable for those watching their sugar and fat intake.
I finished off the date and walnut cupcakes with slices of dates, stem ginger pieces and walnuts. This went well with the texture of the cupcakes

Thanks for reading and do check out all the labels, shop and archives for lots more ideas.
Crazycupcakes

Date and Walnut Cupcakes

One of my favourite cupcake combinations is date and walnut. I was looking through all my really old recipes that I have been collecting forever and decided to make this recipe for cupcakes. It is adapted from a couple of recipes from the 1970s. The result are cupcakes full of dates and walnut pieces with a sort of sweet and moist texture from the syrup and the butter. It is like a Parkin or Gingerbread cupcake method.

Ingredients
4 cups of plain flour
1 cup sugar(white but you could try brown)
1 cup of milk
1 cup of golden syrup
2 ozs butter
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 egg beaten
2 cups of walnut pieces
2 cups of chopped stone free dates
Method
1. Melt the syrup, butter and milk together in a pan gently and do not boil.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and add the beaten egg. Mix together.
3. Add the liquid from the pan to the dry ingredients and mix well together
4. Fill the cupcake cases from 1/2 to 3/4 full
5. Bake at gas 4 to 5,175--185C, 350--375F for 15 to 20 minutes. Place at the top part of the oven for a gas oven. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN FOR 15 MINUTES. The cupcakes are done when the tops are firm to touch and a wooden cocktail stick comes out clean from the centre of a cupcake. This is the time for muffin size cupcakes. The smaller cases will be quicker, I would think 10 to 12 minutes. Some of this does depend on your oven and where you put the cupcakes in the oven. I think each oven has its own temperament!
Decoration
These cupcakes can just be served plain for those who do not like butter cream.
They could have butter cream on top and then half walnuts.
Another idea is to mix some butter cream and add some stem ginger syrup to the butter cream and then top off the cupcakes with a piece of date , walnut and stem ginger.
How about serving with a glass of ginger wine.


I will show some of my decorated ones soon.
Thanks for reading Crazycupcakes

Date and Walnut Upsidedown Cupcakes

These Date and Walnut Upside down Cupcakes use the mixture from my date and walnut cupcakes below .
They are made in a silicone cupcake baking tray which I find excellent for this type of cupcake recipe.
Ingredients
As in the date and walnut cupcakes below plus extra dates and walnuts for the topping.
Topping
Chopped dates and walnuts
1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar for each upside down cupcake.
1 tablespoon of butter for each upside down cupcake.
Melt these together in a pan gently until the sugar dissolves.
Method
Grease the baking tray.
Place dates and walnuts in the base of each cupcake.
Add 2 tablespoons of the melted sugar and butter mixture to the baking tray.
Make the date and walnut cupcake mixture.
Add the date and walnut mixture on top of the topping, do not fill the individual cases to the top, as you need to leave room for the cupcakes to rise in cooking.
Cook at gas 5--375F--190C for 15 to 20 minutes.
Test with a wooden cocktail stick
Cool
Place a chopping board on top of the cupcakes and turn over together.
I served my cupcakes with fresh orange, stem ginger, stem ginger syrup and vanilla ice cream. it would go well with fresh cream and custard.
Grease the tray and add nuts and dates
Add butter and sugar

Top with cupcake mixture

Cooked cupcakes

Served hot with fruit and ice cream.

Enjoy.

We certainly did. My next ones will sit in a pool of fresh custard.

If you like to make soup check out my latest soup recipe tomato and sage soup

Date and Walnut Cupcakes

Date and walnut are one of my favourite combinations. This recipe can be made into really good cupcakes and a fruit loaf. I doubled up the mixture and made both.
Ingredients
2cups--8 ozs--220 gm--plain flour without a raising agent. I used half white flour and half whole wheat flour to get a nutty texture.
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 ozs--1/2 cup--110 gms--soft brown sugar
4 ozs--1/2 cup--110 gms--chopped stoneless dates
4 ozs--1/2 cup--110 gms--walnuts broken into small pieces
2 eggs
4 ozs--1/2 cup--110 gms--butter or soft margarine
2--4 fl. ozs or 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk
This will make 1 loaf or about 10 to 12 cupcakes depending on the size of cup cases you use.
Method
Put the soft butter or soft margarine in a bowl with the sugar, eggs, sifted flours, baking powder and mix altogether well with a mixer. If doing it by hand I would mix butter with the sugar, add eggs and then add the flour and baking powder. A mixer can do it all in one go and save time.
Add the walnuts, dates and milk.
If the mixture is dry add extra milk. White flour does not seem to absorb as much liquid whereas brown flour seems to soak up a lot more.
Dived mixture into cup cases.
Cook at gas 5--375F--190C for 15 to 20 minutes for muffin size.
A loaf cooks at gas 4--350F--180C for 45mins to 60 mins.
Test both with a wooden cocktail stick. When it comes out clean they are cooked.
Cool on a cake rack.
I just put on some simple icing coloured yellow and pieces of walnuts.
I like the loaf in slices with butter.
Variations
Add 1/2 grated apple to the mixture for a moist texture.
Use broken pecans instead of walnuts
Soak the dates in dark rum or a sherry to get another type of flavour.

Ingredients in the bowl

Grated apple option

Dates and Walnuts

The mixture

Cupcakes ready to cook

The cooked cupcakes

The finished cupcakes and the loaf.

Thanks for reading crazycupcakes.

Check out the labels and store for more ideas

Pumpkin Soda , Walnut and Date Soda, Raisin and Currant Soda Cupcakes

This recipe is for an Irish Soda Bread which I make into cupcakes. I like to serve these with my soup recipes and salads. See the links to these recipes for soup and salads in the top left corner. They are good cold or warmed , sliced and served with butter. They can be garnished with salad, fresh herbs or decorated as you would a cupcake with cream cheese but top off with a salad vegetable such as a cherry tomato, cucumber or a piece of asparagus.

Recipe
Irish Brown Soda bread Cupcakes
Ingredients
4 cups--1 lb--500 gms wholewheat flour
1/2 cup--5 oz--150 gms strong white flour
1/2 cup--2 oz--50 gm oatmeal 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of salt
16 t0 24 fl oz--475 to 725 ml of sour milk or milk with the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup--4 ozs dates chopped. I like the dates with the stones removed.
1 cup--4 ozs chopped walnuts
Method
Mix all the dry ingredients well in a bowl
Add the sour milk, sometimes the dough needs extra milk, it should be firm and easy to knead and shape but not sticky to touch. See the photos.
Add the dates and walnuts
Knead lightly
Form into cupcake sizes and place into cupcake cases
Cook at gas 7, 425F, 220C for cupcakes it should be 14 to 20 minutes.

This shows the cupcakes sliced. The second cupcake has Pumpkin seeds added to it instead of the dates and walnuts. I would add 1 cup--4 ozs of pumpkin seeds to create these Irish soda bread pumpkin cupcakes. A second variation is adding 1 cup--4 ozs raisins and 1 cup--4 ozs currants to the mixture to make Raisin and Currant Irish Soda Cupcakes recipe

The mixture with all the ingredients put together. It is now ready for kneading and shaping into cupcake sizes.

I cut the dough into sizes to fit into my cup cases. I then assemble the cupcakes into a baking tray as below and cook.

This shows the completed Irish Soda Date and Walnut and Pumpkin Seed Cupcakes

For more ideas check out the labels on the left, the links and cupcake store.