Written by Frances Griffin.
With the final of The Great British Bake Off final tonight, why not try your hand at a simple, easy and healthy(ish) cake recipe to rival the BBC Two contestants.
This recipe is a twist on the well-known and much loved vanilla cupcake. It not only creates a simply satisfyingly scrumptious cake, but also holds the key ingredient; potassium, from the bananas, which is a renowned mineral for curing hangovers!
Need further justification to ‘go bananas’ for ba-nilla cupcakes? Aside curing hangovers, did you know bananas are the only fruit to contain the amino acid ‘trytophan’ and vitamin B. These together produce serotonin; the body’s happy chemical!
Smile your way through the upcoming assignment deadlines and diets by following the recipe below.
Cake Ingredients:
225g Unsalted/Cooking butter
225g Caster Sugar
4 Medium eggs
225g Self-raising flour
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract Flavouring
2 Bananas
Icing Ingredients:
180g butter
360g Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract Flavouring
4 drops of pink food colouring
1 Banana
This ba-nilla cupcake recipe makes approximately 24 cakes and takes no longer than 45 minutes to make, or 30 if you’d prefer them warm and fresh from the oven.
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and place the cake cases into the cupcake baking tray.
2. Start off by mixing the butter in a large bowl until it is of a creamy and smooth consistency. Slowly add and stir in the sugar until the mixture is lump-free.
3. Crack the four eggs into a measuring jug and mix together, adding the tablespoon of vanilla extract as you go.
4. In a separate bowl, peel and slice the two bananas. Using a fork, or an electric whisk, mash the bananas until they are a yoghurt-like consistency.
5. To bring the cake mixture together, you need to slowly add all the ingredients to the large bowl. Pour the egg, fold the bananas, and sift the flour a small bit at a time to ensure the mixture doesn’t curdle.
6. When the mixture gets smoother, it is time to spoon it into the cupcake cases. Make sure not to fill each more than 2/3, to allow space for the cake to rise in the oven. Place the tray in the oven on a middle shelf and leave for approximately 15-18 minutes until golden brown on top.
7. While the cakes are baking, it is time to prepare the buttercream icing topping. Using a fork (or electric blender for a better result) cream together the butter and icing sugar, but not all at once in order to avoid lumps. Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract as you go along. **Optional: when you have a consistent buttercream mixture, add four drops of pink food colouring.**
8. After approximately 15 minutes when the cakes have cooled, use a piping bag or a spoon, swirl the buttercream around the top of the cakes.
9. Slice the final banana to use as a topping and finish off with a spray of Dr Oetker Gold shimmer Spray for a professional glaze!
10. Enjoy with a chilled glass of milk or a warm cuppa!
Some lovely recipes will add to my collection