Banoffee Cupcakes

A fantastic recipe making use of my favourite flavour combination - banana and toffee. What really makes it is the rich caramel filling right in the middle. If you don't want to make the caramel sauce though, you can always buy some. Quantities were a bit weird; this ended up making about 36 mini cupcakes, and probably would make about 18-20 normal sized cupcakes.

 Ingredients

For the Cakes

225g Plain Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

115g Butter, Softened

170g Caster Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

2 Eggs, Beaten, and at room temperature

3 Bananas, very ripe, mashed

For the Caramel Sauce

125g Caster Sugar

71ml Double Cream

25g Butter

Liquid Glucose

For the Mascarpone Icing

133g Mascarpone Cheese

73g Full Fat Cream Cheese

1/2tsp Vanilla Paste

300g Icing Sugar

Banana Chips (Optional)

Chocolate Decorations (Optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F, and grease or line some muffin trays. Beat the butter and the sugar for the cake mix in a freestanding mixer until the mix is cream-coloured. Add the vanilla paste and mix, and then gradually add the beaten eggs, making sure to mix thoroughly between each addition.

2. Fold in the mashed bananas, and then sieve in the dry ingredients and fold them in. Fill the cupcake holes/cases 2/3 the way full, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or unitl a skewer placed in the middle of one comes out clean. Place onto a wire rack to cool.

3. While the cakes are baking, make the caramel sauce by adding the sugar and 2tbsp water to a saucepan, and stirring on a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Then turn the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to boil, adding a squirt of liquid glucose to ensure it doesn't crystallise. 

4. Leave the mix boiling until a caramel colour is achieved, but be careful not to burn it, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat as soon as you have the right colour, and stir in the cream and butter. Leave to cool completely.

5. While waiting for the cakes and sauce to cool, make the icing. Beat the cheeses in a mixer until smooth and light, then add the vanilla paste, and sieve in the icing sugar a quarter at a time, beating slow at first each time to make sure icing sugar doesn't get everywhere. Add a teaspoon or two of the caramel sauce if you want.

Mix until well incorporated and at a consistency you like. If too thick, add a small bit of milk, and if too loose, add more icing sugar.

6. To assemble the cupcakes, cut a circle into the top of each cupcake with a knife, careful not to go too deep, and cut a small hole, taking out a small cylinder of cake. Remove the bottom part of the cylinder, so you have a small cap for each of the holes, and using a piping bag or a squeezy bottle, fill each hole with caramel sauce, and place the cap on top.

7. Place the icing into a piping bag with a nozzle of your choice, and pipe on to the cupcake. Alternatively spread it on with a palette knife. Finish with banana chips and/or chocolate decorations and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Enjoy :)

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes

A nice twist on a classic dessert; these zesty cupcakes should blow your taste buds away. It's comprised of lemon cupcake, lemon curd, swiss meringue and a little biscuit. If you're lucky enough to have a blowtorch, then you can use it to finish the cupcakes, otherwise they will need to go under the grill. Makes 12 Cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.

 Ingredients

For the Lemon Cupcakes

100g Butter, Softened

200g Caster Sugar

4 tsp Lemon Zest

2 Eggs, Beaten and at Room Temperature

225g Self-Raising Flour

125ml Milk

For the Biscuits

112g Plain Flour

55g Butter, Cubed

40g Sugar

1/2 a Large Egg, Beaten

2 tsp Lemon Zest

For the Swiss Meringue

2 Egg Whites

125g Caster Sugar

Lemon Curd, Store-bought or homemade

Method

1.Start with the biscuits. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F, and line a baking tray. Place the flour, butter and sugar into a mixing bowl, and rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Mix in the lemon zest and the egg to form a dough, and wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes. After chilling, roll dough on a floured surface to about 1cm thickness, and using small cookie cutters or a knife (depending on the size of cupcakes you're making), cut out the biscuits, and place on the baking tray. 

3. Place the baking tray in the fridge for about 10 minutes to ensure the biscuits hold their shape, and then place in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Take out and cool on a wire rack, and keep the oven on.

4. For the cakes; grease/line cupcake trays, and cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together in a freestanding or hand mixer until cream in colour, and then gradually add the beaten egg, mixing well after each addition, being careful not to add too much to make the mix curdle. 

5. Sieve 1/4 of the flour into the mix, and fold in with a large spoon. Add in 1/4 of the milk and do the same. Alternate between folding in flour and milk until finished, and then divide between cupcake holes. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean (beware - they are lighter than normal cupcakes, so be careful not to overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. In each of the cupcakes, cut a small cylinder out of the centre with a sharp knife, and cut of some of the bottom of the cylinder you have just cut out, to form almost a lid for the hole. Fill a piping bag with lemon curd, and using a fine nozzle, or a cut a small hole, and pipe the lemon curd into the cupcakes and cover with the 'lids'. 

7. For the meringue, set up a bain-marie by putting water in a saucepan, and keeping it at a temperature where it's not bubbling on the surface at all, but steaming. Place the egg whites and sugar in a plastic bowl, and place on top of the pan. Using an electric hand mixer, whisk, making sure to touch the bottom of the bowl. Once you start to see pretty defined waves created by the mixer, mix for about 2-3 minutes more, where you should have a pretty thick consistency that holds a peak. Take the bowl off the saucepan and leave to cool.

8. Using a piping bag with a star nozzle, or even a round one, pipe the meringue onto the cupcakes in any design you want. If you have a blowtorch, heat around the top of the cupcakes until browned as much as you want, otherwise place the cupcakes under the grill, keeping an eye on how brown they are getting. Once done, place a biscuit on top.

Enjoy :)

Banana Boston Cream Cake

A fantastic recipe; this chocolate covered banana cake is filled with homemade custard - and tastes amazing. A nice fruity, indulgent version of the traditional Boston Cream Pie. Takes a good few hours, but is definately worth it!

 Ingredients

For the Sponge

100g Unsalted Butter, Softened

150g Caster Sugar

2 Large Eggs, Beaten and at room temperature

2 Very Ripe Bananas, Mashed

125g Soured Cream

1tsp Vanilla Extract

300g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Salt

3/4tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

For the Custard

250ml Whole Milk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Egg Yolks

50g Caster Sugar

15g Plain Flour

15g Cornflour

For the Dark Chocolate Ganache

150g Good Quality Dark Cooking Chocolate, Chopped

150ml Whipping/Double Cream

To Decorate (Optional)

20g White Cooking Chocolate

20g Dark Cooking Chocolate

5g Margarine

1 Digestive Biscuit, Crushed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas 3, and line or grease two 20cm sandwich tins.

2. Using a free-standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it turns a cream colour. Slowly add a bit of the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition.

3. In a jug, mix the mashed bananas, soured cream and vanilla, and then slowly add to the mixer on a low speed, making sure everything is incorporated. At this point it may curdle, but don't worry.

4. Sieve in all of the dry ingredients, and fold in with a spatula until even and smooth. Split between the two tins, and bake for about 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, take them out of the tins after 10 minutes of cooling time, and then leave on a wire rack to cool fully.

5. Whilst the cakes are baking, prepare the custard. Heat the milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan and a medium-low heat until it boils. Meanwhile mix the yolks, sugar and flours to form a paste. Pour a bit of the warmed milk onto the paste and mix. Place paste into the saucepan, and put on a medium heat. Whisk for about 4-5 minutes, or until it properly thickens up and is smooth - but no longer or the eggs will scramble. Pour onto a baking tray and cover with cling film - this will stop a skin from forming. Leave to cool.

6. As the cakes are cooling, prepare the ganache. Do this by heating the cream in a saucepan until it's almost boiling and then pour on top of the chocolate, mixing until its all melted, and a smooth and glossy ganache is formed. Set aside to cool. 

7. Once the cakes are cool, using a hand mixer, whisk the custard until smooth. Then spread the custard on top of one of the cakes with a palette knife, and place the other cake on top. Wrap the sides tightly with cling film, and place in the fridge for 40 minutes so the custard sets.

8. Whilst the cake is setting, make the chocolate curls. Melt the two chocolates separately, the dark with 3g of margarine, and the white with 2g. Pour into a lined ramekin, and swirl with a toothpick. Place in the fridge until completely set, and then remove the block of chocolate, and (with cold hands) use a swivel bladed vegetable peeler to peel off curls. This step may take a few attempts, and a few times you might have to put the block in the fridge for a bit before carrying on. Place the finished curls in the fridge until needed. 

9. Once the cake has set, take off the cling film, and place on a wire rack with a plate underneath. Pour the ganache on top and smooth out with a palette knife around the sides. Leave for a while, and then before the ganache has completely set, place your biscuit crumbs and curls however you want.

Enjoy :)

The Ultimate Banoffee Pie

For this one, I only have one person to thank; Ruth Davis, for providing me with the base recipe for this incredible dessert. Incredibly simple and no-bake, this rich and crumbly dessert will please anyone!

 

 Ingredients

For the Biscuit Base

250g Chocolate Digestives

85g Butter

For the Filling

3 or 4 Bananas

397g Can of Caramel Condensed Milk

300ml Double/Whipping Cream

Caster Sugar, to Taste

For the Dark Chocolate Curls

50g Dark Cooking Chocolate

2tsp Butter

Method

1. For the chocolate curls, line a ramekin and place in the freezer while melting the chocolate and the butter together in a bain-marie. Pour melted mix into the ramekin, and place in the fridge for about 1 hour, or until you're sure it's completely set.

2. Meanwhile, place the biscuits in a plastic bag and close it. Use a rolling pin to bash them into fine crumbs, or alternatively, place the biscuits in a food processor and whizz until fine crumbs. Place crumbs into a bowl. 

3. Melt the butter (for the biscuit base) in a small saucepan, and pour into the the biscuit crumbs, and mix. Pour mix into a 23cm loose bottom flan tin, and using the back of a spoon, spread evenly along the bottom and sides, compacting it to create a pie shell. 

4. Chop up the bananas into slices, and line the pie shell evenly with them. Pour the condensed milk on top, and spread evenly with a palette knife. Place pie in the fridge.

5. Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl, and add a few spoons of sugar. Taste it, and if not sweet enough, add more. Using a hand whisk, beat it until thick, and holds a solid trail. Place in the fridge.

6. Take the ramekin out of the fridge, and carefully remove your chocolate block. [Wash your hands with cold water to ensure your body heat doesn't melt the chocolate while doing the next part] Using a swivel-edged peeler along the edge of the block, peel curls out of the block and place into a bowl. Place in the fridge.

7. Remove pie from the fridge, and fill a piping bag with a 1.5cm plain nozzle with the cream. Pipe lines across like I did, or any other design you want onto the pie. Take the curls out of the fridge, and place them all in the middle, or in lines onto your cream, and break up the excess ones and sprinkle them on top, or use them to fill in the gaps where the condensed milk is showing.

8. Place pie in the fridge until it's time to serve. If you want, you can take it out of the tin, but if you do, be extremely careful, as the biscuit base is incredibly delicate (thats why I say to use a loose bottomed tin).

Enjoy :)