Banoffee cupcakes

Week 42, Bake 42.

Banoffee cupcakes. This idea came to me one night (as they do) and so I decided to create a banoffee cupcake to take into work for my fellow therapists. As an added wow I thought I should use my new chocolate transfer paper!

Ingredients:

• 125g of soft butter
•  175g of caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 large bananas mashed
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of hot milk
• 1tsp of baking powder
• 225g of plain flour
• 1 packet of green and blacks dark chocolate
• 170g of butter (for the icing)
• 2 cups of icing sugar
• 60ml of water
• 100g of caster sugar
• 118ml of double cream
• 2 tsp of vinilla essence
• chocolate transfer paper

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170c.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
3. Beat the eggs into a cup and add a little at a time whilst beating the butter/sugar mixture. 
4. Now fold in the mashed bananas. 
5. In a small mug, mix the baking soda and milk together until dissolved. 
6. Now add this to the cupcake mixture and fold in the sifted flour and baking powder. You dont want to loose too much air at this point.
7. Divide into cupcake cases (I piped mine in) and cook for 15-20 minutes. 
8. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool. 
9. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. 
10. Now the exciting bit, get out the chocolate transfer paper and spread thinly your chocolate over it. Let it cool in a cool room. My flat was actually quite warm from all the cooking so it took longer to set. 
11. Once it is almost set carve out your shapes in the paper. 
12. Now, make the butter cream icing. Beat the butter till light and fluffy. 
13. Gradually add in the icing sugar and beat together. 
14. Either pipe or spread the icing over the cupcakes. 
15. Now make the caramel, in a clean saucepan mix together the water and sugar. 
16. Let it boil on a medium-high heat until it becomes amber. 
17. Now pour in the double cream (and vanilla essence) this will bubble and spit a lot so make sure you have your extractor fan on (I am very proud to say my fire alarm didn't go off!). 
18. Put back on the heat and continuously stir for 3 minutes. 
19. Now let it cool for a minute or two and then drizzle over the top of the cupcakes. 
20. Divide up the chocolate shards and pop into your cupcakes and your done!