Date-Nut Mini Cupcakes

Name: Date-Nut Mini Cupcakes
Yield: makes 75 mini
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom; 10 ounces plump, moist dates, preferably Medjool, pitted and coarsely chopped; 1 1/2 cups boiling water; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1 cup packed light-brown sugar; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 1/3 cups walnuts (about 4 ounces), toasted (see page 323) and coarsely chopped; 1 cup crème fraîche

January 24, 2012

If you grew up eating tiny sandwiches made with date-nut bread and cream cheese—or even if you didn’t—you’ll appreciate the wonderful flavor combination of these tiny cupcakes. Crème fraîche is a rich and velvety update, and soft enough for dolloping on top of the spiced cakes. A little batter goes a long way when baked in mini muffin tins, but the cupcakes freeze well and thaw quickly, so you can serve some now and save the rest for later. Or, if you prefer, you can bake the batter in standard muffin tins for about thirty minutes; you’ll end up with about three dozen.

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