Banana and White Chocolate Cupcakes

I cant believe I have let my laziness get on top of me and haven’t posted  a new post for over a month! Its disappointing really! well, let me apologize and get back into it!

I wanted to bake something with white chocolate this weekend, so I was doing some research on the internet and I was thinking maybe some kind of cupcakes with white chocolate frosting, unfortunately search after search, nothing really jumped out and say ‘Bake me! Bake me!’….until I stumbled on the British Larder! My first look of their Banana and White Chocolate Cupcakes with Magical Glittering Cream Cheese Frosting captured me straight away, I need not look further, this is what I want to make! Although my cupcakes don’t have the pretty silver glittering balls on as decoration, they taste fantastic! Banana + White Chocolate + Cream Cheese, what more do I have to say?

Few Tips from Madalene from the British Larder

1. She added a little bit of cornflour to her cupcake batter to makes the texture of the cupcake ultra fine and fluffy.
2. You could replace the cornflour with custard powder if you would like to make banana and custard cupcake.  (<– that sounds incredible!)

Banana and White Chocolate Cupcakes

• 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed
• 2 large free range eggs
• 125g plain flour
• 25g cornflour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 50g white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases.
2. Cream the soft butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the mashed banana, cream until well incorporated, add the eggs one at a time, cream well after each addition.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and cornflour over the creamed banana mixture and add the white chocolate chips, fold it all together. Do not over work the cupcake batter.
5. Fill a disposable piping bag with the cupcake batter and fill each case  three quarters full.
6. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20 – 22 minutes, test if they are baked by inserting a metal skewer if the skewer comes out clean then the cupcakes are done.
7. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before decorating them with the cream cheese frosting.

Alejandro’s Cream Cheese Frosting (make 12 cupcakes)

• 100g cream cheese
• 200g icing sugar, sifted
• 25g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Whip the sifted icing sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. I use a mixer with a whisk attachment for this stage.
2. Pour the cooled melted butter slowly into the whipping cream cheese mixture, whip the cream cheese mixtrue for a couple of mintues to incorporate air.
3. Let the cream cheese frosting set in the fridge for at least one hour before using. This frosting is best made the day before required so that it can set slightly and get a fantastic gloss.
4. This frosting is fairly soft, take it out of the fridge for 20 minute before needed to come to room temperature.
5. Garnish the cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting and make it look extra pretty with silver balls and edible glitter.

NOTES:

1. I didn’t get time to make the frosting a day ahead, so my frosting is missing that beautiful gloss, try to make yours a day ahead if you have time 🙂

Banana Bread

do do do do, banana bread, do do do do…. here i am humming away after baking this beautiful banana bread, the whole kitchen smells so homey, as if  I went far far away and living in a little cottage. Well, I bet this is exactly how Andy felt when he got up this morning with this yummy smell. Let me take you back 9 hrs ago before I transformed his apartment into a cosy country side cottage…..Just before I was heading to bed on Friday night, I shared with him my discovery on Tessy’s Banana Bread recipe on Shutterbean, I was so excited and I really felt like baking that in the morning so we can have fresh baked banana bread for breakfast. Although that is only if i can get up early, I do love my sleep in on Saturday and no one – NO ONE is gonna take that away from me! Fast forward 7 hrs on, I was still asleep enjoying just lying in bed, I started feeling this push and kicks from Andy, I asked ‘Whats wrong?’ He simply replied ‘Go on, go make banana bread’ and he wouldn’t stop poking and pushing me  until I finally had enough and got up. That’s right, he kicked me out of bed, so he could have fresh baked banana bread for breakfast!!! Man, I gonna have to start charging him with all my baked goods! Especially on Saturday morning, I should get triple paid!!

Anywhooooo, back to the banana bread! This bread is ever so moist! Pack of goodness of banana flavour, its fluffy with big moist crumbs! And the cinnamon crumble topping really made this a special recipe!

I used wholemeal flour instead of plain flour and the result was excellent! It gives the bread a more wholesome and rustic feel to it, you will feel indeed  homey and cosy when you are eating it!

Tessy’s Banana Bread

(recipe from Shutterbean)

• 1 cup plus all-purpose flour (I used wholemeal plain flour)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• coarse salt
• 125g unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large banana, mashed ( Mine is a bit more than 1/2 cup -see picture)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flour
• salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.  Butter a loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Stir in the melted butter and the buttermilk or yogurt. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute. Add the banana and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

4. Make a topping by mashing together the tablespoon of cold butter with the tablespoon of flour, the brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Distribute the topping evening over the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cake tester or toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Cut and serve from the pan.

NOTES:

1. Best serve Warm! 🙂