BANANA WALNUT CUPCAKES AND CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

"There's nothing a cupcake and coffee can't solve." Marie Williams Johnstone

After last Sunday's baking disaster(s) I'm so pleased with what came out of this my baking trials this weekend! Thank you to the usual band of hungry brothers for wiping out almost 26 cupcakes! For the chocolate I've just used my easy chocolate cake recipe which you will find in the dessert section. For the banana walnut I tried a new recipe which I adapted for less sugar and fat. These are best eaten on the same day, I feel refrigeration does terrible things to most baked goods so try it for the next occassion that comes up!

What you’ll need:

For the cupcakes -

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

½ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs, at room temperature

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 orange (this will make the cupcakes wonderful! But I didn’t have any so mine are just plain)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

For the frosting –

120 gms cream cheese

¾ cup icing sugar

4 tbsp butter (unsalted)

Walnut halves, for decorating (optional)

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease your muffin tray with butter or vegetable oil.  Chop your walnuts roughly.

Note: Phrase I love to read in recipes – chop roughly. As opposed to julienne which makes my insides clench up in fear. I don’t know if I’d be able to julienne anything even with a gun to my head. Chopping roughly though is a joy – I twirl my knife like a baton and pretend I’m on Masterchef (this is not a recommendation).

2. Mash the bananas (it’s best if they’re overripe – they’re sweetest this way). Pour sugar and oil and whisk.

Note: Mashing – another favourite kitchen activity.

3. Add one egg at a time while you whisk baby whisk! Add sour cream, vanilla, orange zest. (You guessed it! Keep whisking!)

4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Stir into the banana mix in batches. Finally stir in the chopped walnuts

Note: The recipe I used as a base used more sugar and said the walnuts were optional. I don’t like my cakes or cupcakes to be too sugary so taste the batter and see if you’ll want more sugar. Also really do try to get the walnuts into the batter they’re a small addition but make a world of difference.

5. Pour batter till each space in the muffin tray is about 2/3 filled. Bake for about 30 minutes or till you pass the toothpick test.

6. Cool cupcakes for about 15 minutes before you pop out of tray. Let cool completely.

Note: If the top hasn’t come out all even, don’t stress about it and just slice off any knobbly bits sticking out. Once you slather on the icing nobody will be able to tell.

7. Icing: Mix cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and butter together till smooth.

Note: Try to get your hands on icing sugar. This isn’t finessing unreasonably, because caster sugar will leave your icing granular.

8. Slather on icing thickly and top with walnut halves or if sprinkle some chopped walnut if you didn’t use it all in the batter.