Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

It doesn't matter how many bananas I manage to eat during the week, at the weekend there always seem to be a few bananas left in the fruit bowl. I have tried experimenting with banana bread but no matter how hard I try, I am always left with a stodgy heavy loaf that is nothing like the amazing banana cake that I visualised in my head.

This week, the little penguin had his first taste of bananas and I have to say he was not a huge fan. Anyway we were left with rather a lot of quickly ripening bananas that were well past the way I like to eat them, so I decided to try yet another banana cake recipe. This one was adapted from the hummingbird bakery cookbook. I have fond memories of our visits to the hummingbird bakery on Portobello Road and I hoped that this recipe would be the answer to my banana cake woes.

They were great! The bananas developed an almost caramelly flavour while they were in the oven and the cupcakes were light and fluffy. I really like the fact that the final ingredients were the eggs so that I could taste the batter to check the balance of flavour. The only let down was a traditional chocolate buttercream frosting that was far too sweet for the cupcakes so next time I would make them with a chocolate ganache topping. I made these as cupcakes but I think they would be great as a layered cake.

banana cupcakes - adapted from the hummingbird bakery cookbook

Makes 12

Ingredients
125g flour (sifted)
80g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon of ground ginger
pinch of salt
80g butter (unsalted)
120ml whole milk
2 eggs
1 banana (mashed)

200g chocolate
200ml double cream

1. Line a cupcake tray with 12 cases and preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, butter and mashed banana in a free standing mixer on medium until well combined. 
3. Turn down to low and add the milk slowly.
4. Check the flavour of the batter and adjust sugar, salt and spices accordingly. 
5. Add the eggs and mix until combined. 
6. Spoon into the cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (Start checking after 15 mins)
7. Allow them to cool in the tray for a few minutes, then on a cooling rack until cold. 
8. While you are waiting melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and combine with the cream.
9. Allow to cool slightly then pour over the cupcakes.