Thursday, May 8, 2008

Dairy Free Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcakes with Kahlua Almond Ice Cream and Caramel/Cream Cheese Sauce or "frosting"


Wow...that's a long title for cupcakes that took an even longer time to make ;)! I enjoyed coming up with this fun recipe for ice cream cupcakes. It was kind of exciting trying to figure out how I'd convert a sticky toffee pudding recipe into a sticky toffee pudding cupcake recipe. Initially, I was a little worried that the cupcakes would come out a bit gooey, but with some recipe-improvising, I was able to figure out a way to give the gooey pudding a cupcakey texture. I used one less egg and substituted the butter with canola oil.

The tricky thing about making these cupcakes was the dairy free part...so when it came time to make the 'caramel cream cheese frosting', I ran into a few problems that led to unexpected discoveries! Normally I'd use heavy cream to make caramel sauce, but this time I used soy creamer. I was hoping it'd be a tad bit thicker than soy milk, and possibly serve as a nice alternative to heavy cream, but I was wrong. The soy creamer pretty much dissolved as soon as it hit the caramel colored, burnt sugar; it's almost like it took on the form of water. Strange. Anyone have any tips on how to make dairy free caramel? I could sure use 'em!

On to the unexpected discoveries... Since the caramel sauce was watery, I decided it'd have a richer taste if it was combined with something like tofutti cream cheese frosting (I've made caramel sauce in the past, but for some reason, it really wasn't working out for me this time -- I had to re-do it 3 times!). I also had some issues with the tofutti cream cheese frosting (probably because I've never made any kind of cream cheese frosting before ;) -- it turned out a little on the watery side, but all was not lost! The end result was a lightly flavored, creamy and syrupy caramel sauce that nicely complemented the rich pudding-based cupcakes and crunchy soy ice cream.

Next time I make these cupcakes, I'd like to make the soy ice cream. I don't have an ice cream maker at the moment, so I wasn't able to do it this time around. I do think I experimented enough with the cupcakes and topping, though. But I wonder how the ice cream would've turned out if I tried making that dairy free?!

I'd now like to take the time to applaud each and every talented dairy-free baker/blogger who effortlessly creates delicious treats...how do you all do it?!


I had so many of these cupcakes, and I knew my husband and I wouldn't be able to finish even half of the batch, so I thought I'd have him take another version of them to work. I knew it'd be too messy to transport the cupcakes with an entire scoop of ice cream on top, so I packed them up in a container and covered them in the caramel cream cheese sauce, instead. I then used a teaspoon to scoop a tiny serving of ice cream on top of the saucy frosting. To give them a somewhat cute look, I threw an almond on top of the dab of ice cream. They ended up resembling a big sticky mess by the time his coworkers got to them, but I love sharing baked goods with folks. Who doesn't love getting an unexpected treat at work -- doesn't it make the day go by a little faster :)? Below is a picture of the cupcakes Jose took to work, version 2 of the sticky toffee pudding cupcakes.






11 comments:

Stef said...

What a great entry on so many levels! First of all, sticky toffee pudding is one of my all time favorite desserts! I LOVE it!! Second, kudos for all of your efforts to experiment with dairy-free desserts. Third, I love how you adapted thing to make it easier to transport. Thanks for playing!

Anonymous said...

why must you tempt me so, Sophie, whyyyyy?

Anonymous said...

These look really dreamy. I will definitely be trying them.

My only adventure into making what came close to a caramel topping was here:

http://gotnomilk.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/chocolate-covered-toffee-matzo-crunch/

But is really wasn't caramel; more like a toffee topping. I applaud your effort. I do find that tofutti cream cheese is slightly runny, and haven't figured out how to fix that. I'm usually just glad to get that creamy "fix" and similar taste of cream cheese more than anything else!

Great blog!

Mama Mia said...

what beautiful cupcakes!!! I'm passing along an award to you and your wonderful blog! Check it out and pass this award along! http://mylifeisyummy.blogspot.com/2008/05/arte-y-pico-award.html

Anonymous said...

Your blog is wonderful! I am so excited for your ice cream recipe and love all the experimenting you did! The end product is just beautiful!

Thanks for participating!

Bethany

Anaylli said...

Oh wow, sticky toffee pudding...I'm there! Great recipe!!

Mansi said...

oh! these look like perfect treats!! nicely done Sophie!:)

btw, I'm hosting a Monthly Mingle event on my blog this month, and it would be great if you could participate! please check the details here hope to see you there!

Evelin said...

This is...this is just too much for me to handle! I want it now!:)

Sweet Sins said...

Hello Sophie!! Gosh I feel like I fell off the face of the blog earth since my trip! I have been so behind in everything at home at work and on my blog. I am baking tomorrow for it though so I can be back on track! You have been busy with tons of great recipes I see!! My trip was wonderful and fun! It has been so hot and humid here it is not cooking weather at all... for cupcake Hero you just submit and do the challenges you do not have to sign up. If you go to the site you can email her and tell her you will be joinging so you can get the emails...
I have not done a challenge as I joined after the Earth day dead line but I hope to do the next challenge!!
Hope you have a great holiday weekend!!

Sharon said...

Well I suppose I could spend all night perusing your blog, huh? These cupcakes leave me speechless...well I guess wordless. :) I wish we were coworkers!

Lisa said...

What a lovely photo of your amazing cupcakes! Thanks for documenting your discoveries along the way to making a healthier cupcake.