Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

I know I have been on a hiatus, but I promise you this recipe will redeem myself.

I thought it would be a wise idea to buy a bunch of bananas despite the weather forecast foreshadowing a grim next couple of days. To my unfortunate surprise no one in my family envied a banana, preferring to indulge in hot cross buns and warm espresso. Shock horror Anthea! So, instead of playing against the taste of my family, I decided to make myself, and my bananas worthwhile and make something that would push the hot cross buns off the radar and bring bananas back into vogue.

These banana cupcakes are scrumptididiliumptious! You legitimately take one bite and cannot stop yourself. First you eat a big one and because they are just so goddamn seductive, you in turn eat a small one to (in hope that you won’t succumb to their lure ever again). Why are they so seductive? I will try my best to articulate their beauty, but really the only way you will experience it is if you make them yourself. First of all, the banana cake is light, yet moist and carries an aroma of banana mixed with cinnamon and vanilla right to your nose, making you salivate before you have even begin to taste it. Then the icing comes into play. The creamy texture and the tangy bite of the cream cheese marriages beautifully with the sweetness of the banana. I just wish that you could taste it vicariously through this cyber world that we live in ….!!!

Without further ado, here you have it – the recipe to life’s happiness.

Cake Mixture

125g butter softened

¾ brown sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon cinnamon

⅓ cup crème fraîche

100ml milk

1½ cups self-raising flour sifted

3 ripe bananas mashed

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a cupcake tray with paper cupcake liners. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cinnamon and vanilla. Beat in the mashed bananas and the crème fraîche until just incorporated. Fold in the sifted flour and milk alternatively (i.e. alternate between adding some flour and then some milk). Spoon mixture into cupcake liners to fill ⅔. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown and when tested with a skewer it comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Icing

30g of butter softened

125g cream cheese softened

2 cups icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and continue to beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the icing sugar and continue to beat until all the icing sugar is used and the icing is thick, creamy and fluffy. It should be of a consistency that you can pipe.