Bananas always get too ripe too quickly in our house because we have a very warm and sunny kitchen. So my daughter uses them for Banana and Chocolate Loaf Cake. If you don’t have time for an hour in the oven though, try these easy all-in-one-method-cupcakes. They are great for children and adults alike because of the sweet, soft sponge. You can leave out the decoration and they are just as good.
You’ll need
For the cupcakes
- 225g soft unsalted butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g self raising flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3-4 medium sized ripe bananas (around 225g)
For the decoration/topping
- 12 whole banana chips
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 100g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Equipment
- KitchenAid or mixer with a paddle attachment
- 12 hole muffin tray
- 12 muffin sized cupcake cases
- Small plate lined with greaseproof paper
To make them
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Put the cupcake cases in the muffin tray and set aside.
- Put the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and cinnamon into the KitchenAid and beat until you have a smooth batter,. I usually put the timer on for 3 minutes.
- Mash the bananas and then stir these in to the cake mixture.
- Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake them for 20 minutes. A cocktail stick should come out clean.
- Leave them to cool in the tin and then on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile make the topping/decoration. Put the granulated sugar into a small pan and leave to dissolve and bubble until it’s a light caramel colour.
- Taking the pan off the heat and working quickly, dip the whole banana chips into the caramelised sugar and coat them evenly.
- Place them on the plate with greaseproof paper and allow to cool and harden.
- Make the icing. Mix up the cream cheese and the rest of the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refridgerate until your cupcakes are cool enough to decorate
- Decorate the cupcakes. Spoon a small dollop on to the top of the cupcake and then place a sugar coated banana chip on top. Done!
If you don’t have time to make the caramelised banana chips, just place some fresh banana slices on top just before serving. Enjoy!