Banana Cupcakes with Rum Caramel Frosting and Rum Caramel Sauce

 

And all this because I cannot throw an overripe banana away.



Banana Cupcakes with Rum Caramel Frosting and Rum Caramel Sauce
Makes 12

For the Cupcakes:
adapted from Tastebook

200g cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
85g caster sugar
85g light brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
40ml grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
185g pureed banana
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Rum Caramel Sauce:
from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup hot water
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream
2 tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter

For the Rum Caramel Frosting:

115g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

Pinch of fine salt

1/4 cup Rum Caramel Sauce (recipe above)

Make the Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper liners.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk to combine and break up any lumps.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugars until light and fluffy on medium speed. Add the buttermilk and beat. Gradually add the oil and then beat in the bananas. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners and bake for 16-18 minutes, until lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove them from the pan and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Rum Caramel Sauce:

Put the sugar and water into a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved. Cook for 5 - 8 minutes until the mixture turns a deep honey brown. Do not stir. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the cream. The mixture will spit and splutter violently and then will calm down. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until the sauce is thick, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and add the rum, vanilla and butter and stir well.

Make the Rum Caramel Frosting:

Put the butter into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar and salt. Beat for another 2 - 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the rum caramel sauce and beat to incorporate.

Assemble the Cupcakes:

Put the frosting in a piping bag (I always use disposable piping bags), fitted with a small star tip, and pipe swirls on top of the cool cupcakes. Drizzle with rum caramel sauce.