Sour Cream Banana Cupcakes

For some reason I always feel that my fridge is not complete without a tub of sour cream in it. Problem is, I don't cook things with sour cream very often except for cakes and the occasional lot of nachos and since I am a fridge nazi that doesn't let anything go off, I find myself scrambling to make a batch of something, usually cake-like, that requires sour cream. I always try and bake with it as I know it produces a moist cake and today I had some bananas that looked like they needed eating.

It turns out these bananas actually didn't need eating once I opened them up. Has anyone noticed that since the "banana crisis" in Australia subsided, bananas that look black on the outside turn out to be nowhere near super ripe as they look? They must be storing them differently or doing something different.

I found this recipe from the Taste site and it comes highly recommended. It was very nice but I think I'd change the icing to a cream cheese icing. Banana cake and cream cheese work so well together but I am biased as cream cheese icing is my favourite icing. I also added some cinammon which I also think goes so well with bananas. As I had just bought some new cookie cutter to use as fondant cutters for cupcakes, I made these as cupcakes instead of a large cake. I baked the larger cupcakes (in the swirl papers at the very bottom of the page) for 20 minutes and the smaller ones (in the white pleated cups) for 15 minutes.

The tops were made using my new cutters from Davis & Waddell bought in Myer where they have a ring of 12 shapes for $9 as they had a 30% off deal (usually $12.95 RRP). They're pretty good value as I have seen cutters for a lot more per cutter.

Sour Cream Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients (serves 8 )

• 125g butter, softened

• 3/4 cup caster sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

• 3/4 cup sour cream

• 1 cup mashed banana (you will need 2 large, very ripe bananas)

• 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour

• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• 2 teaspoons of cinammon

Icing

• 180g white chocolate, chopped

• 1/4 cup sour cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Using a metal spoon, gently fold in sour cream and bananas. Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda over batter and gently fold through.

3. Spoon batter into cupcake pans. Smooth surface. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

4. Make icing. Place chocolate and sour cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring constantly with a metal spoon, for 3 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat. Stand for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour icing over cake, allowing it to drizzle down sides. Serve warm.

Notes & tips

Sour cream banana cake (without the icing) can be made a day in advance. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. To warm, place un-iced cake on a microwave-safe plate lined with baking paper. Heat, uncovered, on MEDIUM-LOWDEFROST (30%) for 4 to 6 minutes or until warm to the touch. Ice while warm.

Source

Super Food Ideas - May 2005 , Page 86

Recipe by Dixie Elliott