Banana Cupcakes!!

I was never much of a crier, until I had babies… my hormones have been in chaos ever since! So, today I told myself I wouldn’t cry.

I haven’t yet. Maybe I won’t and I will hold all the tears until September when Mini-Baker is off to her “big girl school.”

Today is her last day of pre-school and for their party I signed up for fairy cakes! I made banana cupcakes in fairy cake cases. There is a difference. This recipe would normally make 12 cupcakes I managed 30 fairy cakes!

Now that it is officially summer time, as school is finally done, we need the weather gods to give us some sunshine! I won’t hold my breath! So, if you’re in England and holed up in your house you can make these!!

cupcakes:  

100g unsalted butter, room temp.

175g soft light brown sugar

½ tsp banana extract (optional)

2 (m) eggs, room temp

300g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb

½ salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

140ml buttermilk

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas4 and line your muffin tin.
2. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and banana extract (if using, I didn’t) for 7 minutes, or until light and fluffy!
3. Add the eggs one by one, mix for about 2 minutes
4. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients: flour, b.powder, bicarb, salt, and g.cinnamon.
5. Mix into the butter mixture until just incorporated.
6. Add the buttermilk and bananas and mix for a further minute
7. Divide into your paper cases in your lined tin and if you are making cupcakes bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. If you are making fairy cakes, like I did, only bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. NOTE: be aware that the bananas in the cupcake could cause a toothpick to come out a bit wet so check a few cupcakes!
8.  Out of the oven transfer to a rack and leave to cool before icing!

frosting:

125g unsalted butter, room temp

300g icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

1 tbsp clear honey

1. Cream the butter in the mixer until light and fluffy I found this hard, as it wasn’t enough butter for my mixer to mix properly. You may want to use a hand mixer for this icing!
2. Add the icing sugar, milk, and honey and mix for 2 minutes until well blended.

decorating:

chocolate covered banana chips

or

3 small bananas and 12 tsp honey

1. I piped my frosting on, but you could also use a palette knife!
2. I then added a chocolate covered banana chip! The recipe suggests a couple of sliced bananas covered in a tsp of honey (1 tsp for each cupcake) remember if you make fairy cakes you could use less.

I took this recipe from Love Bakery: Cupcakes from the Heart by Samantha Blears

I shared these on Homemade Hooiser's Cupcake Tuesday!!
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Janet made Martha's Roasted Banana Cupcakes if you're looking for an alternative!!