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 :)

Carrot Cupcakes

The pineapple in these keep them moist, but also add a subtle 'tropical' flavour - perfect for those like me who are stuck in a country that thinks that it's winter during summer, so at least when it's raining, you can still pretend. Makes 12 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes. 

      

 Ingredients

For the Cakes

88g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Baking Powder

1/4tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon

A Pinch of Salt

1 Large Egg

100g Caster Sugar

50ml Vegetable/Sunflower Oil

1/4tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Large Carrot, Peeled and Finely Grated

30g Tinned Pineapple, Drained and Finely Chopped

2tbsp Chopped Walnuts, Plus Extra for Decorating

For the Cream Cheese Icing

22g Unsalted Butter, Softened

120g Full Fat Cream Cheese

150g Approx. Icing Sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4, and grease/line a cupcake tin. Weigh and measure the flour, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and salt, and mix together in a bowl. 

2. Using a freestanding or handheld mixer, beat the egg and sugar until pale and fluffy; about 10 minutes. Gradually add the oil and vanilla, beating meanwhile, until combined. Sift in the dry ingredients, and fold in with a metal spoon until evenly distributed.

3. Stir in the carrots, walnuts and pineapple, and divide mixture between muffin cases. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of one comes out clean. Leave to cool fully before icing.

4. While the cakes are cooling, beat the butter until very soft, and then add the cream cheese, mixing until completely incorporated. Then sieve in 1/3 of the icing sugar, and mix in, starting slowly. Repeat with the next third, and the last, adding milk or more sugar to reach the desired consistency. If you want to pipe it, it should be fairly thick. 

5. Pipe or spread the icing as desired on the cool cakes, and top with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.

Enjoy :)

Maryland Cookie's and Cream Cake

Maryland cookies are by far the best packaged chocolate chip cookies you can find in the UK (even though they're not even made or sold in Maryland, or for that matter, the US), so why not make a cake out of them? If you haven't got buttermilk, you can just mix half plain natural yoghurt with half milk.

            Ingredients

For the Cake:

110g Unsalted Butter,Softened

380g Caster Sugar

320g Plain Flour

4tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Salt

320ml Buttermilk

3 Large Eggs

135g Maryland Cookies (or any other chocolate chip cookies)

For the Icing:

500g Icing Sugar, Sifted

160g Unsalted Butter, Softened

250g Mascarpone

3 Maryland/Chocolate Chip cookies, crumbled

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C fan/170C/Gas 3, and line the bottom three 20cm (8inch) cake tins, and grease the sides. If you only have one, don't worry, it will just mean it will take longer, and you'll have more trips to the oven.

2. In a freestanding electric mixer or a handheld whisk, cream the butter and sugar until light and pale (it won't have the regular consistency of creamed butter and sugar as the ratio of butter to sugar is different). 

3. In a large jug, mix the buttermilk and the eggs. Very gradually, in a slow but steady stream, add about half of the jug while the mixture is being whisked, making sure it all stays well combined. Once half is added, sieve in the dry ingredients, and continue to mix on a slower speed. Then again, very gradually add the rest of the jug into the mix. 

4. Break the cookies into pieces by hand, no more than about 2cm in length, and fold into the batter. Divide into three cake tins, and place into the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown, springs back to the touch, and a skewer comes out clean. Once the cakes are cool to the touch, go around the edges of the cakes with a small palette knife to loosen it a bit, and remove from the tins, transferring them to a wire rack.

5. For the icing, use a free standing mixer or handheld whisk to cream the butter and sugar together until very light and pale, starting on a low speed so that icing sugar doesn't go everywhere. Add about a third of the mascarpone and beat until smooth, then add the rest, and mix for a few minutes on a high speed until much lighter in texture and colour. 

6. Once cakes are completely cool, you can start assembling. Take one cake, and add about 4 or 5 tablespoons of icing on top, smoothing out with a palette knife, and liberally sprinkling cookie crumbs on top. Top with the next cake and repeat. Add the last layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake, trying to ensure there are no gaps. Top with either leftover crumbs, broken up cookie pieces, or just leave plain. 

Enjoy :)

Foolproof Chocolate Fondants

One of my favourite, rich recipes of all time, this mouth watering chocolate sauce-filled sponge dessert awesome. Make sure you use good quality chocolate. 

Makes 4. 

Ingredients

100g Dark Cooking Chocolate

120g Caster Sugar 

!00g Plain Flour, Sifted

100g Unsalted Butter

2 Eggs

2 Egg Yolks 

2tsp Tia Maria Liqueur (optional) 

Some Cocoa Powder

Strawberries and Ice Cream (To Serve)

Method

1. Grease 4 ramekins and dust with cocoa powder, spreading evenly and letting the excess fall into the next one. Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan. 

2. Melt the butter and the chocolate over a bain-marie, and leave to cool slightly

3. Whisk the eggs, yolks and the sugar until pale and thick, and then add the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and liqueur, and distribute between the 4 ramekins.

4. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops of all of them don't look glossy. Leave for 3 minutes. 

5. Carefully go around the outside of each fondant with a small palette knife - if you muck this up, it won't turn out properly. Carefully turn onto plates, and serve immediately. 

Enjoy :) 

Grandma's Gingerbread

Sometimes it's better to go back in time for the best recipes. Originally my grandma's, this bake is simple and delicious, but it can get messy with the golden syrup! I decided to add the topping though, to give a crunch, and really bring through the flavour of the ginger. Serve with butter. 

Ingredients

330g Plain Flour

50g Caster Sugar

210ml Golden Syrup

2tsp Mixed Spice 

1tsp Ground Ginger

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

230g Butter

2 Eggs, Beaten

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

For the Topping

25g Light Muscavado Sugar

25g Flour

25g Oatmeal

1tsp Ground Ginger

35g Cold Butter, Diced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C, and line a standard size loaf tin. Place the butter and the syrup in a small saucepan on a low heat until all the butter has melted. Leave for a minute to cool.

2. While the butter is melting, sift the flour, sugar, mixed spice, ginger and baking powder into a bowl, and set aside.

3. Add the syrup mix into the sieved ones and mix together. Then gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Mix the bicarb and 1tsp boiling water, then add to the cake mix.

4. Place in the oven, and set the timer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the topping by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl, and rubbing it between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. After 20 minutes sprinkle a thin layer on top of the loaf.

5. Put back in the oven for another 25-30 mins, or until a darkish brown, and a skewer comes out clean. Serve with butter and enjoy :)