Today’s post is a little bit special because, well, it’s my birthday! Yep, I’m turning the ripe old age of 27 today and what better way to celebrate than with cupcakes! Bringing cake on (or near) your birthday is mandatory at my work, not even the boss would get away with not bringing something to share, so I whipped up these bad boys to take in and pass around. They’ll have to wait until tomorrow though, I’m off to spend the day at the Peninsula Hot Springs with B instead (sorry work!)
This recipe comes from A Table For Two, although I have slightly tweaked the cupcake part of the recipe. I made a double batch, but I’ll just give the measurements for a single batch although given how good the ones B and I sampled were you might want to just make a double batch too!
Ingredients List
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup thickened cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 50g chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Banana Cupcakes
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1/2 cup self raising flour
- Pinch of bi-carb baking soda
- Pinch of salt flakes
- 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 2 ripe bananas)
- 2tbs salted caramel sauce
Salted Caramel Icing
- 250g cream cheese, room temperature
- 50g butter, softened
- 2 cups (confectioners’) icing sugar
- 4 tablespoons salted caramel
Steps
Caramel Sauce
It’s best to make this the day before, and leave it in the fridge (just try not to eat it all before you make the cupcakes!)
- Place sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Turn up the heat to high and let it boil without stirring for about 5 minutes or until the sugar starts to caramelise and turn into toffee. Don’t go too far away as the colour will change quickly.
- Pour the cream into the hot sugar, keep stirring with a wooden spoon while you bring it back to the boil. Add the salt and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, whisk the butter in to caramel one cube at a time. Pour it into a heatproof jug and set aside to cool. Refrigerate overnight
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 180C and prepare your baking pans
- Sift flours, salt and baking soda into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugars in a bowl until pale and fluffy, then on a low speed at the eggs one at a time, ensuring they are well beaten. Add the mashed banana and mix it through well
- Add the flour in small batches and beat until combined
- Add the salted caramel sauce and beat to combine
- Spoon the mixture into your patty-pans and bake for 25-30 minutes
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then cool completely on a wire rack
Salted Caramel Icing
- Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer on high speed until softened.
- Add butter the and continue beating until well combined.
- Slowly add the icing sugar until well mixed in.
- Add the salted caramel and beat well.
Then it’s just a matter of icing the cupcakes (you can pipe if you’d like, I’m not that fancy) and away you go! I topped mine with a banana chip, but obviously that’s not mandatory! I have a feeling I’m going to be pretty popular when I show up with these tomorrow!
Now I’m off to lounge around in hot pools and saunas for the day – don’t mind me!
Cindy
March 31, 2014 at 8:53 am (11 years ago)Happy birthday! And enjoy your lounging. 🙂
Cindy recently posted…Stealthy yellow couscous
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
April 1, 2014 at 11:04 am (11 years ago)Thanks Cindy! It was a very relaxing birthday indeed!
Lila
April 1, 2014 at 7:50 am (11 years ago)They sound awesome, hope you had a fabulous birthday!
Lila recently posted…A muse (+) me
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
April 1, 2014 at 11:05 am (11 years ago)Thanks Lila, I had the most wonderfully relaxing day – felt very spoiled!
Lauren @ Create Bake Make
November 22, 2014 at 4:15 pm (10 years ago)I LOVE banana and caramel, such a great combination.
Lauren @ Create Bake Make recently posted…Haloumi, Kabana and Tomato Salad – Fabulous Foodie Fridays #28
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
November 24, 2014 at 1:52 pm (10 years ago)Aren’t they just a perfect match!
Kim @Landofzonkt
November 24, 2014 at 10:47 pm (10 years ago)Ooh isn’t this scrumdidiliumpcious! Hmm banana & caramel… Heavenly.
Kim @Landofzonkt recently posted…Comment on Simple Salad Series 2014: Pumpkin & Pomegranate with Honey dressing by vegeTARAian
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
November 25, 2014 at 9:14 am (10 years ago)Thanks Kim! Anything caramel is a-ok with me!