Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

So I was watching cupcakes wars on TV last night, did you know that they have cupcake wars on Netflix? It just made my day because now I can go back and re-watch some of the first episodes and seasons. Anyway, back to the cupcakes. I was watching cupcake wars (on Netflix) and was thinking to myself, "I should make some cupcakes, they probably won't look as good as those and it will probably look stupid me decorating a bunch of cupcakes and putting things like pulled sugar and chocolate on top as decorations, so maybe I shouldn't make cupcakes because they won't look as good." But then I said to myself that I was being stupid and I should just make cupcakes and make them taste good because that is the only part that matters. I started looking through my shelf of cookbooks and pulled out Jamie Oliver: Happy Days with the Naked Chef. I started riffling through it  I found this recipe for sticky toffee cupcakes with a chocolate topping.

This recipe will make about 12 servings
The ingredients are:

30 grams (1 oz) sultanas
30 grams (1 oz) dried apricots
30 grams (1 oz) dates
1 teaspoon baking powder
140 grams (5 oz) self-raising flour
30 grams (1 oz) muscovado sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 large egg
30 grams (1 oz) melted butter
140 milliliter (5 fluid oz) hot water

To make the chocolate topping, you will need:

40 grams (1 1/2 oz) butter
40 grams (1 1/2 oz) caster sugar
40 grams (1 1/2 oz) plain chocolate
70 milliliter (2 1/2 fluid oz) double cream

The first step as always, is to preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Then, mix the sultanas, apricots, dates, baking powder, and just enough flower to stop the fruits from sticking to the blades, in a food processor (If you don't have food processor then just chop it up very finely).

Next, put the mixture you just made into a bowl with the muscovado sugar, the golden syrup, the egg, and the melted butter. Stir together.

Once stirred, add the hot water and remaining flower and mix well with a whisk.

Divide this mixture between 12 cupcake liners and put them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

While the cupcakes are cooking, melt the chocolate topping ingredients in a pan and bubble for a bit until the color darkens slightly. Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool until it thickens. Put a blob of the chocolate mixture on top of each cupcake.

Image curtesy of Jamie Oliver