Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Another fantastic gluten-free cupcake recipe that I wanted to share with all of you. This one is a blend of chocolate and banana. Sweetened with honey and rich with the flavor of dark chocolate cocoa powder. Then topped off with a smooth, creamy and decadent milk chocolate frosting.

I wanted to keep the icing style simple with these so I didn't bother piping the frosting onto the cooled cakes. Instead I simply spread it on with my small icing spatula. Initially, I considered topping them with sprinkles but thought banana chips would be a better idea. I love being able to look at a dessert and know by an "accessory" or decoration what truly rests within. Thank you, Ina Garten, for sharing my thoughts on this !

This cupcake recipe comes from Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam. I love this cookbook and have made many a recipe to date all with tremendous success. Even if you aren't sensitive to gluten you should pick up a copy. These delicious treats are worth baking. These taste amazing! These cupcakes are so moist and truly lovely in each and every way.

The frosting is my own concoction and one I use regularly. Feel free to swap out the milk chocolate for dark chocolate or white chocolate if you prefer. All those options also taste beyond fantastic !

During this baking experience I also had the pleasure to test out Reynolds new StayBrite cupcake liners which are said to be guaranteed not to lose their color as they bake. They did indeed keep their color and are amazing liners. The are stiff and hold their shape very well. The color too does not fade due to the foil interior. I will definitely buy these again.




So without further delay, let's get baking.

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe: Chocolate Banana Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam

WHAT YOU NEED

CUPCAKES

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder, the darker and richer the better
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 medium very ripe bananas)

FROSTING

4 ounces milk chocolate
2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 12 muffin cups with paper liners

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 4 ingredients
IN SEPARATE BOWL, whisk together eggs and honey
FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients combining until fully blended
STIR in mashed banana
FILL each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter
BAKE 18-22 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
LET cool in pan 5 minutes
TRANSFER cupcakes to cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting

MAKE FROSTING

IN SMALL DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate whisking continuously until smooth
REMOVE FROM HEAT and let come to room temperature
IN STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter 2-3 minutes MED speed
ADD melted chocolate
BLEND until combined
ADD icing sugar and vanilla extract
BLEND slow speed 1 minute, scrape down sides and mix 3 minutes MED speed
SPREAD frosting onto cooled cupcakes
TOP with any decoration your little heart desires

ENJOY !

Also seen here:

Banana Yogurt Bread

Yes, me again with another quick bread. So simple to throw together and oh so good! If you haven't guessed it already by the title, I was again faced with more ripe bananas. In fact, 1/2 a dozen. I ended up using 2 in this recipe and another 3 in an upcoming post for Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Cupcakes (be sure to stay tuned for that recipe too!).

The original recipe, as posted on the English Kitchen, called for sour cream. I went with Greek yogurt instead. Same consistency but with a healthy edge.

This loaf is very moist, rises up perfectly, and is phenomenal plain, with butter or even Nutella!

As I do with all banana breads, I also added nutmeg and cinnamon for added flavor. These spices really bring out the banana flavor and work wonderfully in this bread.

So let's get at it !

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe Sour Cream Banana Loaf, The English Kitchen

WHAT YOU NEED

4 ounces butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
7 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
125ml of greek yogurt (or full fat sour cream) (1/2 cup)

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
SPRAY 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar MED speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy
ADD in vanilla and 1 egg.
BLEND until combined and add remaining egg
IN SEPARATE BOWL, whisk together remaining dry ingredient
FOLD into wet ingredients until just combined
STIR IN bananas and yogurt
SPOON batter into prepared loaf pan and level the top

BAKE 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

ENJOY !

Chocolate Banana Brownies

Rich, filled with chocolate, moist with bananas and the size of a piece of cake ! These brownies are amazing and shouldn't be missed. Thanks goes to Chef Michael Smith for, yet again, another superb sweet recipe.

These brownies are quite dense and moist due to the addition of 1 cup of butter, 4 bananas and 4 whole eggs. Let's not forget an entire POUND of dark chocolate.

I did adjust the recipe a tad by adding chopped white chocolate to the batter along with 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Due to their weighty batter, these babies take a full 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake. And surprisingly, you can get all of this batter nestled nicely into an 8" X 8" baking pan. I usually bake my brownies in a 9" x 13" pan so this was a bit on the scary side for me. I wasn't sure if they were going to rise up properly let alone cook all the way through. Trust in Chef Smith for he is the master! Sure enough, these were PERFECT.



LET'S GET STARTED

RECIPE*:
*source recipe: Banana Brownies


WHAT YOU NEED

1 pound of dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of unsalted butter
4 eggs
4 ripe bananas (med size preferred)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 ounces chopped white baking chocolate

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven 325F
BUTTER AND FLOUR 8" X 8" square baking pan
In MED saucepan, melt butter and dark chocolate. Set aside
IN LARGE BOWL, mash together eggs, bananas and vanilla extract
WITH WOODEN SPOON, stir in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder
FOLD in melted chocolate/butter
FOLD in chopped white chocolate
POUR into prepared pan
BAKE 1 hr 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean & brownies are firm to the touch.

ONE WORD: WOW!

Also seen here:

Banana Sour Cream Muffins with Pecans

Unfortunately, my banana nut muffin post was lost in the Blogger mishap so I will re-post again with the hopes that you will see this in time to make a fresh batch of these lovely muffins for your weekend treat !

I decided to make these yesterday morning when I was again faced with one overly ripe banana on the counter; the only survivor of a bunch I purchased at the start of the week. Rather than adding to my growing stack in the freezer, I wanted a recipe where only one banana would suffice and muffins came to mind.

These muffins have several key ingredients to ensure optimum moisture: sour cream, milk, oil and of course, banana. The addition of nutmeg and cinnamon are wonderful complimentary flavors to banana in baked treats. These muffins have a soft, cake-like, consistency and are perfect plain, with butter, jam or even a smear of cream cheese.

Throw in some nuts during the final mixing stage to give them great crunch. Top them off with turbinado or demerara sugar right before baking. My girls love theirs with chocolate chips so just swap out the nuts for sweet little morsels of " I can't get enough" chocolate if you prefer.


LET'S GET STARTED!

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 large) mashed banana
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup full fat sour cream
1/3 cup oil (a neutral flavored oil is needed. I use Becel)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped nuts

MAKE IT

PREHEAT OVEN to 375F
LINE 12 MUFFIN CUPS with paper liners

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 6 ingredients
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together remaining wet ingredients except nuts
ADD wet ingredients to dry ingredients folding in nuts at same time. Fold together just until combined
FILL muffin cups to the top (as they do not rise too high and won't overflow the tin).
BAKE 18-20 MINUTES or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

ENJOY !

Old-Fashioned Banana Roll

Just like the banana roll I used to buy my Granny at Woolworths many, many years ago! This is a lovely light banana cake with a whipped cream icing.

What brought this on? As I walked into my kitchen to put on a pot of tea, I was greeted by the smell of an overripe banana. And sure enough, there it was. One lone banana overly ripe on the counter -- not enough for muffins or a quick bread. So now what? Freeze it for good use later? Or throw it out?

And then I remembered!



Like a candy-coated flashback, it all came back. Little me as a teeny-bopper picking up a sweet banana roll at Woolworths on my way home one Saturday for a weekend visit.
After that first purchase it became the norm - a banana roll was toted home
(along with my dirty laundry) each and every visit !

This brought back many fond memories. I hope it does the same for you.
And if not, well then you can bet it will create new superb memories
for you to enjoy in the future!

Rather than trying to put together a recipe from scratch with the hopes of mimicking the real thing, I figured there was no way I was the only person who loved and missed this little dessert. My Google research led me to find a recipe that I was sure was my ticket to recreating the Woolworths Banana Roll and I found it here at Tasty Home.
I did adapt this version though as I went along.

I am not a jelly roll superstar. To be honest, this is the FIRST one I have ever baked.
I am proud to say it came out perfectly!

LET'S GET STARTED !

To begin, I greased a cookie sheet (as I had no jelly roll pans hanging around)
and lined it with parchment paper with 2 inch overhang.
Then I greased the parchment paper too !


The batter was simple but beware, have 3 mixing bowls handy before you begin.
I smoothed it into the pan and hoped for the best.


10 minutes in the oven and out it came to be immediately transferred
to a tea towel which was pre-dusted with icing sugar.
Then I simply, and gently, rolled up the cake into a little log.
I let it sit for a good hour before icing.

Yes, there is a little jelly roll all tucked away in here.
I couldn't stop touching it while it was still warm and swaddled in the tea towel.
It felt like a kitten wrapped up in a blanket (and yes, in a GOOD way!!)


Let the icing begin !


So two amazing things occurred today:
I conquered my fear of jelly roll baking and I recreated a memory!
I brought the past into the present!

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

FOR THE ROLL

1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 large banana works)
1 tablespoon full-fat sour cream
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature

FOR THE FILLER ICING

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon banana extract
1 package of Whip It

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan
LINE with parchment paper ensuring 2 inch overhang on all sides
IN MEDIUM BOWL, SIFT flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
IN SMALL BOWL, MASH banana and combine with sour cream.
IN LARGE BOWL, CREAM butter until it is smooth (1-2 minutes medium speed with hand-mixer).
ADD sugar and scrape sides of bowl if necessary.
CREAM SUGAR and butter for 2 minutes medium speed.
ADD egg and continue to beat 2 minutes.
SLOWLY add half flour mixture, then banana mixture and end with remaining flour mixture. MIX until smooth.
POUR batter into pan and use icing spatula or knife to spread evenly.
BAKE for 10 - 12 minutes until top starts to turn golden brown.

REMOVE from oven
LAY a tea towel on your work surface and dust with icing sugar
INVERT cake onto tea towel and ROLL up with towel.
ALLOW to cool for 1/2 hr.

MAKE ICING:

COMBING all icing ingredients blending at medium to high speed with a hand-mixer
until smooth and thickened.

ICE THIS BABY !!

UNROLL cake slowly (if it starts to stick gently pull towel off cake) and spread with 1/2 of icing
ROLL up slowly and cover with remaining icing
SPRINKLE top of jelly roll with chopped walnuts

ENJOY! This one is to remember!!

White Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread

Banana Bread - a childhood favorite. An adult favorite. Hey, it is an ALL TIME favorite!

This one is loaded with chunks of white chocolate and chopped pecans.

I grew up eating slices of banana bread topped with butter. There truly is nothing comparable.

HERE WE GO !

Some of your basic ingredients: overripe bananas, white chocolate and pecans

Rather than going with one large loaf pan I decided to use 4 small loaf pans.
When moving to smaller pans, I had to reduce the baking time
by approximately 10 minutes.

4 little loaves of delight cooling for a bit in their pans

Golden brown and baked to perfection. All it takes is a 350F oven for 35 minutes!

The sweetness of the white chocolate plus the crunch of pecans
make these little guys BIG WINNERS !

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 medium or 2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup fine white sugar
1/3 cup of vegetable oil (I use Becel)
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 squares of white baking chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup chopped pecans

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE 4 small loaf tins or one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan

COMBINE flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices with whisk
MASH bananas
ADD sugar to bananas and stir with wooden spoon until well combined
STIR in oil, eggs and vanilla to banana mixture until well blended
ADD flour to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Do not overmix
FOLD in baking chocolate and pecans

DIVIDE batter between 4 loaf tins or one large loaf pan
RAP tins gently on counter to remove any air bubbles

BAKE for 35 minute if using 4 small loaf tins or 45 minutes (checking with a toothpick at 40 minutes)

ALLOW loaves to cool in tins on a baking rack for 5 minutes
REMOVE loafs from tins and let cool completely. Trying to slice a loaf while it is still too warm can result in one big mess!

HAUL out butter, spread on a nice thick slice and ENJOY !!

Banana Sour Cream Muffins with Brown Sugar Streusal Topping

How often do you enter your kitchen to be greeted by the smell of overripe bananas? And then spy them, sitting there growing darker by the moment. I experience this weekly. My kids have great aspirations to "eat their fruit" yet the bananas always seem to fall by the wayside....or perhaps this is all a plan of theirs. Overripe bananas = muffins, cakes, quick breads. No wonder they let them be !!

I usually use 3 medium sized bananas and whip up a banana bread but recently I decide to try muffins instead. I was glad I did (and so were the kids!).

It all began here:

And in a flash they were ready for the oven !

They rose up perfectly during baking time. The aroma was divine !!!!

To be truthful, these barely had a chance to cool before we started digging in! They were fantastic - light and fluffy with a crunchy brown sugar topping. A wonderful way to start the day.

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 cup sour cream (full fat only!)
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
2 - 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

BROWN SUGAR STREUSAL TOPPING:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter (cold and unsalted)

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F

GREASE 12 muffin cups

In a large bowl, SIFT together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In a small bowl, gently beat eggs, sour cream, butter and bananas until combined.

STIR wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened.

FILL greased muffin cups three-fourths full.

STREUSAL: with fingers, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter until mixture is coarse crumbs (pea sized is fine)

SPRINKLE Streusal over muffins.

BAKE 20-25 minutes.

Note: These muffins are best eaten the same day and left uncovered. Covering them will cause the streusal topping to soften and lose that CRUNCH !

* Top photo of Ripe Bananas by Kenn Stilger