Banoffee Cupcakes

These were the poll winner by a TON of votes. I'm sorry it took me so long to post about them, but I've been really busy this week. Actually, I haven't been THAT busy, but it just seems like it. Ya know?? Anyway, on to the cupcakes! They were FABULOUS! I might be biased because I loooove banana cupcakes. But these were freakin GOOD! And the little pockets of melted caramel all throughout the cake were such a nice compliment in texture. To quote my boyfriend "It's soft like cake, but it tastes like a muffin. And the toffee bits are where it's at!" Haha. I sprinkled the top of them with Heath toffee bits before baking. To my knowledge, "Banoffee" is a marriage of the words "banana" and "toffee." Caramel and toffee are not the same thing. So the Heath pieces helped me mend that little problem. I topped them with whipped cream, but plain 'ole whipped cream wouldn't do. I added some storebought caramel. Not the soupy stuff that comes in a jar labeled as ice cream topping. No way! I'm talking about the thick stuff that comes in a plastic tub made for dipping Granny Smith apples in! Yeahhhhh. That stuff is so creamy and delicious. I used it to sweeten the whipped cream. It was perfect on the cupcakes! Here are some photos and the recipe...

PS:
I own a piece of the web now!

Ingredients Topped with Heath toffee bits before baking!

Cooling......

World, meet the Banoffee Cupcake!

After Josh and I shared a bite... See the caramel inside? Yum!

Recipe from Cupcake Heaven by Susannah Blake.

MY NOTES: I used the little Kraft chewey caramels you get for dipping apples. I chopped 5 of them really small and tossed them in with the flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake. I only got 8 cupcakes. Mine were done at 14 minutes.

BANOFFEE CUPCAKES
Makes 10 (I got 8)

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 cup self-rising flour
4 chewy caramels, chopped

To decorate
2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped
3-4 tablespoons dulce de leche or caramel sauce
1 banana, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until creamy, then beat in the egg, a little at a time. Fold in the mashed banana, then sift the flour into the mixture and fold in, followed by the caramels (I tossed the caramels in the flour first).
Spoon the mixture into the paper liners and bake in the preheated oven for about 16 minutes (Mine were done after 14 minutes) until risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To decorate, swirl the cream over each of the cupcakes, then drizzle with a spoonful of dulce de leche or caramel sauce (I beat the caramel right in with the whipped cream) and top with slices of banana. (The bananas will turn brown quickly. Either toss them in lemon juice first or wait until you're ready to serve them.)

Note: Dulce de leche is a sweet caramel sauce from Argentina and it is available from larger supermarkets. If you can't find it, you can make it yourself. Put a sealed can of condensed milk in a saucepan, pour over boiling water to cover, and boil for 3 hours, adding more water as necessary so that the can is always covered. (CAUTION: This method is very dangerous because the can could explode. Watch it carefully!) Remove from the pan and let cool completely before opening using a can opener. Stir well to make a smooth sauce before spooning over the cakes.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5