Rav-ing it large
RAV’S BANANA CUPCAKES (MAKES 12)
line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating them into the mixture between each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder, mixing until smooth, and then fold in the mashed banana.
2. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
4. Make the vanilla buttercream by beating the butter until pale. In three additions, add the sifted icing sugar, mixing well each time. Add the vanilla extract and milk and continue to mix until smooth.
5. Pipe or spoon the buttercream on to the cooled cupcakes, drizzle with the chocolate sauce and scatter on the sprinkles and chopped peanuts.
6. For a final flourish, pop a maraschino cherry or slice of banana on top.
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
4 eggs, weighed in their shells Now, whatever the eggs weighed, weigh exactly the same amount of: soft margarine (from the fridge) or unsalted butter, softened; Caster sugar; Self-raising flour, sifted together with 1tsp baking powder 1tbsp milk
1tsp vanilla extract
For the filling:
200ml (7fl oz) double cream 1tsp vanilla extract
4tbsp raspberry or strawberry jam ½tbsp caster sugar, to serve
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas 3)
2. Grease and line 2x20cm sandwich tins.
3. Put the marg (or butter) and sugar in a bowl, and cream together with a wooden spoon (arm-ache!) or, as I prefer, with an electric whisk.
4. Fold in the flour and baking powder with a metal spoon or spatula. This is when you can flavour the cake with cocoa, or orange, and so on.
5. Stir in the milk and vanilla, then divide the batter equally between the two tins.
6. Bake for 25 minutes on the middle shelf, unless you are using a fan oven, then you can put them anywhere!
7. You know the cakes are done when they are light golden, a little shrunken from the sides, and spring back when you touch them.
8. Remove from the tins and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. When ready to fill the cake, mix the cream with the vanilla extract until thickened.
10. Spread the jam on one of the cakes, then top with cream and sandwich together with the second cake.
11. Dust with caster sugar to serve.
■ Recipe from Nadia and Kaye Disaster Chef: Simple Recipes for Cooks Who Can’t (Dorling Kindersley).