The Chronicles Of Nadia: Banana and Chocolate Cupcakes

As well as my passion for all things pinup, I have a huge love for baking. Anyone who knows me, knows my ultimate dream would be to own a little vintage/retro cafe serving amazing breakfasts and sweet treats. Whilst I embark on improving my skills, I thought I'd bring you guys along for the journey of self improvement, and hopefully inspire some kitchen treats along the way.

This week I got home from work, and opened my cupboards looking for inspiration - the only thing staring at my were some brown, sad looking bananas. I'm not particularly a fan of bananas, I buy them because they are good for me, but they often sit there until I decide to turn them into banana bread (usually with chocolate chips!).

At my recent cake baking and decorating class I was taught a simple vanilla cupcake recipe, which provides a great foundation for anything you want to add, so I thought I'd experiment.

Yum! Recipe below.

BANANA AND CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE

Ingredients all ready to weigh in.

Ingredients (to make 12 cupcakes)
100g Plain flour
120g Cake flour
170g Caster sugar
15g Baking powder
3/4 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
115g unsalted butter
120g Free range eggs
1/2 cup Full cream milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 Mashed brown bananas

These cupcakes are not skinny, you need high fat content unsalted butter and full cream milk! Plus good quality cocoa powder and vanilla extract.

1. Before starting, weigh out all your ingredients and bring everything to room temperature (butter, eggs, and milk).

2. Pre-heat your oven to 163oC (fan-forced) or 173oC (non fan-forced).

Now, I know you're reading that thinking... '163'... yes it's precise. I have recently purchased an oven thermometer and it informed me what I thought was 160oC was actually over 200oC. No wonder my cupcakes were going mental in there!

This is called the one bowl method, for precisely that reason - everything in one bowl.

3. Sift all of your dry ingredients into your mixing bowl - both flours, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.

My prized Kitchen Aid

4. Set your mixer on low speed (you can do this with a hand mixer too, you might just need a buddy to help you out!) - and add the softened butter chunk by chunk, until it's all incorporated and it resembles a sand consistency. Scrape down the bowl.

Sandy consistency of the dry ingredients and softened butter.

5. Add your eggs one at a time - keeping your mixer on slow. After one has just been incorporated add the next. After all have been added scrape the sides of the bowl down.

You may also notice the eggs are in weight - baking is a science. If you find it's about two and a half eggs - whisk the third and add until the correct weight.

Weigh in eggs, precisely!

Mixture after adding eggs.

6. Combine your vanilla extract and milk together. Now slowly add a continuous stream of vanilla extract/milk- do not flood your mixture. Slow and steady. Again, stop and scrape your bowl down.

SLOW addition of milk/vanilla extract combo.

7. The final step, add your mashed bananas and mix on medium/high for 20/30 seconds - this allows air to get into the mixture.

Final yummy mixture.

8. Evenly distribute your mixture into a cupcake tray lined with paper cases and bake at 163oC in a fan-forced oven for 17-21 minutes.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR BEFORE 15 MINUTES!

9. Check on your cupcakes after 17 minutes, a skewer will come out clean if cooked. If not quite there, put them back in for 2-4 minutes.

10. Once cooked, remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. As they cool, you can prepare the chocolate butter-cream frosting.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER-CREAM

Ingredients

125g Unsalted butter

3-4 cups of soft icing sugar mixture

1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/4 cup Full cream milk

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1. Beat softened butter with your paddles attachment until white and creamy.

2. Sift icing sugar and cocoa powder into a separate bowl.

3. Add 3 cups of icing sugar/cocoa powder to the butter.

4. Add salt, vanilla extract and milk, beat until combined.

5. Continue to add icing sugar until desired consistency is reached.

6. Beat for approximately 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

This frosting will keep in a air tight container in the fridge for two weeks, yum!

After your cupcakes have cooled, pipe the frosting and add your garnish! I grated some chocolate on top of mine. These will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for 4-7 days.