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90g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
170g (6oz) plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1½ tbsp Blue Curaçao (or Triple Sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
Few drops of blue liquid food colouring (optional)
For the pineapple sauce
115g (4oz) unsalted butter
70g (2½oz) soft light brown sugar
45ml (1½fl oz) dark rum
For the whipped cream topping
300ml (10½fl oz) double cream
100ml (3½fl oz) whipping cream
70g (2½oz) caster sugar
30ml (1fl oz) dark rum
For the decoration
40g (1½oz) desiccated coconut
12 maraschino cherries
One 12-hole deep muffin tin or 12 ramekins
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Grease the sides and bottoms of the muffin tin or ramekins with butter – do not put paper cases in.
2. Over a bowl, drain the pineapple rings, reserving 60ml (2fl oz) of the juice (you can discard the rest). Set the reserved juice aside. Trim the pineapple rings so that they will fit in the bottom of your muffin tin holes or your ramekins. Chop up the discarded pineapple finely, put into a bowl and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons water with the 2 tablespoons sugar, just until the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and then add the lemon and lime juices. Measure out about 70ml (2½fl oz) of the resulting sweet and sour mix into a bowl. To this add the vanilla extract, dark rum and reserved pineapple juice.
4. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, cream the butter and caster sugar together for around 5 minutes on a medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, on a lower speed, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the sweet and sour rum liquid and mix. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and mix into the wet ingredients on a low speed in one slow but steady addition. Don’t overbeat. By hand, stir in the reserved pineapple pieces, Blue Curaçao and food colouring, if using.
6. To make the pineapple sauce, heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan for around 3 minutes on a medium-low heat until the butter is melted and all is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum.
7. To assemble the cupcakes, spoon about 1 teaspoon of the sauce on top of each pineapple ring. Spoon the batter in until each hole or ramekin is about three-quarters full. Using a 50ml (1¾ fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes.
8. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. When they’re done, allow to cool in the tin or ramekins for 10 minutes, then flip over carefully. It’s best to take a tray and flip over the muffin tin all at once. The pineapple rings can be rearranged if they fall out or are dislodged to make them fit back on top of the cakes. Leave to cool completely.
9. To make the whipped cream topping, use a freestanding electric mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand-held electric whisk to whip the creams and sugar together until it starts to thicken and forms firm peaks. Fold in the rum carefully by hand.
10. Lightly toast the coconut until it is a light golden brown – this takes about 5–6 minutes in a hot oven, but keep checking as it will turn brown quite quickly. Top each cupcake with a dollop of the whipped cream, a maraschino cherry and a sprinkle of the toasted coconut. Paper cocktail umbrella is optional.
Bananas Foster Cupcakes
Bananas Foster is a dessert created in 1951 at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. Bananas cooked in brown sugar, rum, butter, cinnamon and banana liqueur are then spectacularly flambéed at your table and served with vanilla ice cream, and here we present them to you in cupcake form. Dark sugar and treacle give the sponge a kick, and don’t worry if you don’t have any Crème de Banane – more rum will do!
Makes 18 cupcakes
For the cupcakes
25g (1oz) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
115ml (4fl oz) water
195g (7oz) mashed ripe bananas
60ml (2fl oz) dark rum
90g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
80ml (3fl oz) treacle
150g (5½oz) dark muscovado sugar
1 large egg
270g (9½oz) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
For the sauce
75g (2½oz) dark muscovado sugar
45g (1½oz) unsalted butter
25ml (1fl oz) golden syrup
25ml (1fl oz) dark rum
25ml (1fl oz) crème de banane (optional – if not using, use 50ml dark rum)
For the frosting
130g (4½oz) mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
600g (1lb 5oz) icing sugar
25g (1oz) dark muscovado sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
Two 12-hole deep muffin tins and 18 paper muffin cases
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, and line the muffin tins with the paper muffin cases.
2. In a saucepan, combine the ginger and water and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, take off the heat and leave to steep for 30 minutes. Discard the ginger, straining through a sieve if necessary. Stir the banana and rum into the gingery water and set aside.
3. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, cream the butter, treacle and sugar together for around 5 minutes on a medium-high speed until light and creamy. Beat in the egg, on a lower speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients and the banana mixture to the creamed mixture in alternate additions, being careful not to overmix.
4. Scoop into the paper cases until three-quarters full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
5. To make the sauce, combine the muscovado sugar, butter and syrup in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until they reach a simmer. Add the rum and crème de banane, if using, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. To make the frosting, mash the bananas in a small bowl with the lemon juice. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter for a minute or two to loosen. Add the mashed banana and beat for 1–2 more minutes until well mixed. Add the icing sugar, a third at a time, on a low speed, then add the brown sugar, cinnamon, rum and vanilla. Turn the mixer up to medium and beat for an additional 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
7. To assemble the cupcakes, skewer each one three or four times and pour enough sauce into the holes so that they are quite soaked through. Allow the cupcakes and sauce to cool completely. This is very important, as the frosting will melt if the cupcake is even slightly warm.
8. Pipe or spoon generous amounts of the frosting onto each cupcake, gently smoothing over with a palette knife or spoon and making a nice swirl of frosting on each one.
Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes
Pumpkin spice means that autumn is on the way, Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving are on the horizon, and while it may not get too freezing cold down South, summer is definitely over. America’s favourite autumn flavours work perfectly when transformed into cupcakes.
Makes 12 cupcakes
For the cupcakes
135g (5oz) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
160g (5½oz) caster sugar
50g (1¾oz) soft light brown sugar
115ml (4fl oz) rapeseed or other flavourless vegetable oil
2 large eggs
210g (7½oz) tinned pumpkin purée (such as Libby’s)
For the frosting
75ml (2½fl oz) water
65g (2oz) caster sugar
2 good-quality chai tea bags (such as Teapigs)
3 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
115g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
250g (9oz) full-fat cream cheese, such as Philadelphia, cold
100g (3½oz) icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp honey
