Chocolate Banana Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Caramel Buttercream Food

CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Combine all the banana curd ingredients EXCEPT butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until fully combined. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan set over medium heat and add the butter.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon-do not boil. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. (You may need to use a spatula to press the curd through the sieve.)
• Cool curd to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours). Can be made up to 3 days ahead.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 to 22 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
• Whisk the coffee (or wateand cocoa powder in a small mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together into a second mixing bowl and set aside.
• Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer set to high speed. Continue beating on high until mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed-this will take about 5 minutes.
• Turn mixer to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Divide batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
• Cool cupcakes completely in pan for 20 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
• Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until very smooth. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, the cocoa powder, 6 tablespoons milk, and salt and beat to combine.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then turn mixer to medium and beat for a minute or two, until frosting is smooth. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin and additional milk if frosting is too thick.
• Use a small paring knife to cut a hole about 1 inch across and 1 inch deep in each cupcake. Reserve the cake you cut out of the holes.
• Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons of banana curd into each cupcake. Trim the cake you removed from the holes so it will fit over the filling as a sort of plug, then replace the plug in the hole.
• Spread or pipe the chocolate frosting over each cupcake, then top slice of banana if desired. Serve.

BANANA CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two 12-count muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl on medium speed until creamed. About 2-3 minutes. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla, beating on low speed for about 1 minute.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions, stirring by hand after each addition. Add the milk and stir until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Spoon the batter evenly into 18 cupcake liners. Fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping. Bake each batch for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
• Sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to assure there are no lumps. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sifted sugar/cocoa powder alternately with the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat on low speed after each addition. Once all added, beat on high speed until creamy and combined for at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until creamy and completely smooth - about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium until combined. Add the cream and mix on high until creamy, at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
• Frost cooled cupcakes with a knife or with a piping bag/tip. If you'd like to just make 1 kind of frosting and not both, make sure you double the frosting recipe of your choice to make sure there is enough for all cupcakes. To swirl the two frostings like I did, here is how I made the swirl frosting. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake. Decorate with banana slices and/or more chocolate chips if desired. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and in the refrigerator up to 5.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES AND PEANUT BUTTER ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.
• Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
• Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.
• Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

BANANA-CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffins cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, bananas, water, butter and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.
• Bake 18 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Store loosely covered.

CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Cupcakes: To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed banana, heavy cream, sugar, oil and vanilla until well combined. The mixture won't be completely smooth, but mix vigorously to get out as many of the large lumps as possible. In a second medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. (Sift your cocoa into this mixture if it appears clumpy). Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and gently whisk (or fold with a rubber spatula) until flour just disappears. Distribute the batter evenly among the liners, filling each about 1/2 - 2/3 full (an ice cream scoop works great for this). Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffin pan to a wire rack. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to the wire rack to cool completely. Buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (I used the paddle because I'm a rebel. Or I don't read the recipe well enough), beat butter and peanut butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about a minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and salt to the bowl and beat at low speed just until the sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture on med-high until fully combined. You'll notice it taking on a lighter color and a more uniform texture, this is perfect. Finally, mix in the vanilla and caramel sauce and beat on med-high to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again then beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with caramel drizzle, melted chocolate or anything your heart desires.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED BANANA CUPCAKES WITH BANANA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners (for a total of 44 cupcakes).
• For the banana cake batter: In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Add the bananas and buttermilk and beat together well.
• For the dark chocolate cake batter: Put the cocoa in a medium heatproof bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water over it and whisk until smooth. Let the mixture cool.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at time, and then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture.
• Fill the cupcake liners one-third full with the banana cake batter. Add the dark chocolate cake batter on top, filling the liners about two-thirds full. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 16 to 19 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
• For the ganache: Melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a double boiler, stirring the entire time. (Be careful not to get steam or water into your chocolate mixture, as it will seize.) Stir until completely melted and smooth. Add additional cream as needed a tablespoon at a time.
• For the buttercream: In a large bowl, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, banana bakery emulsion and bananas. Whip until smooth and creamy.
• Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Drizzle with the chocolate ganache using a squeeze bottle or spoon.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Combine white sugar, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup butter in another bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg. Mix in mashed bananas. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, stirring after each addition. Fold chocolate chips into the batter.
• Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese and 3 tablespoons butter in a bowl until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Beat in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, until frosting is smooth.
• Spread frosting over cupcakes.