Chocolate Hummingbird Cupcakes
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 15 minutes for cupcakes, 5-10 minutes for frosting (can be done while cupcakes are baking)
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Make: 10-12 cupcakes
- 350g/12.36ozs. crushed pineapple in juice, reserve 2 tablespoons of juice for icing
- 1/2 cup cake flour*
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/4 cup of toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 egg
For cream cheese icing
- 125g/4ozs. cream cheese, softened
- 60g/2ozs butter, softened
- 3-4 cups sifted icing sugar
- A few drops coconut essence
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 2 cups flaked coconut to decorate
*To make cake flour, place 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a measuring cup and fill to the 1/2 cup mark with plain all purpose flour.
Step 1 -Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced. Line a baking tray with cupcake liners. Drain the juice from the pineapple very well pressing down on the pineapple through a sieve. In a large bowl, place the cake flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, coconut, walnuts, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and ginger and whisk to combine.
Step 2 - In a jug add the banana, oil and egg and whisk well until combined. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and incorporate the banana mixture as well as the drained, crushed pineapple. Mix until just combined and then spoon into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes checking the centre for doneness with a skewer.
Step 3- While the cupcakes are baking, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, coconut essence and pineapple juice together on low speed until the icing sugar is incorporated and then increase the speed until you get a spreadable consistency.
Step 4 - Once the cupcakes have cooled, spread the cream cheese icing on top and then roll the top in the coconut.