Banana Bourbon Cupcakes

 
I made these a few days ago, gosh I wish I had one in front of me right now... but my thighs are heaving a sigh of relief.




Banana Bourbon Cupcakes
slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is
Makes 12

For the Cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup sour cream
115g butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 small chocolate coated honeycomb bar (I used a Crunchie), crushed

For the Frosting:
60g unsalted butter
2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons bourbon

For the Ganache:
100g dark chocolate,chopped
3 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon bourbon

Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk briefly with a hand-held whisk to combine and get rid of any lumps, set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk the egg and brown sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla extract and add the sour cream and melted butter and mix. Stir in the dry ingredients, then add the mashed bananas and buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into the paper cases until 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove them from the oven, turn them out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Make the Frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the icing sugar and beat well. Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of bourbon, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until pale and fluffy.

Make the Ganache:
Put the chocolate into a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until bubbles start appearing at the edges, then pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes, then stir together until smooth. Add the bourbon and stir again. Dip each cupcake into the ganache, covering about 1/3 of the frosting. Sprinkle some of the crushed chocolate coated honeycomb on top of the ganache before the ganache sets.