Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I really hate wasting food; it just feels wrong on every level. But there are some things that no matter how infrequently I buy them, I seem to find myself tossing, mouldy, into the bin a week or two later. One such culprit is the black banana. Truth be told I'm not the world's biggest banana fan. Oh I like them and everything, but if I'm reaching for a piece of fruit it's generally fairly low down on my list of preferences. Coffee Boy purportedly loves them though, so from time to time I buy him a bunch. But clearly he doesn't love them quite enough as I often find them hanging sadly upon the banana stand (yes, yes, I know I have far too many kitchen gadgets) looking black and pretty yucky.

The other day, spying a few sad specimens, I decided to make something with the black bananas before they became good for nothing but the bottom of the bin. I remember from the bad old days of yo-yo dieting a surprisingly delicious Rosemary Conley recipe for a banana loaf - apart from the use of sweetener which I loathe and even then used to substitute for actual sugar. But if black bananas can work in a healthy recipe, I reasoned, there's no reason they can't work in an unhealthy one too. So this is what I came up with:

Banana Cupcakes (makes about 18)

Adapted from various recipes including Ellen Einstein's Banana Cake recipe

125g butter

200g sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 egg - large

200g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2-3 very ripe bananas - black is OK

125g of sour cream

• Heat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
• Beat the butter in a bowl until it's creamy - I use an electric whisk to save time
• Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy
• Add the vanilla and the egg and continue beating for around a minute or so
• Mash the bananas and thoroughly beat them into the mixture
• In a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda
• Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix in
• Add the sour cream - don't worry if the mixture looks like it's separating, it will come out OK in the end
• Finally add the rest of the flour mixture and blend until everything is well mixed
• Spoon, or preferably pipe, the mixture into lined muffin tins so each case is no more than half full
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
• Place on a rack and let them cool to room temperature

I usually leave my cupcakes for a day, or at least overnight, before frosting but if you're in a hurry just make sure you leave them until they are really cool.

Chocolate Buttercream

200g of good quality dark chocolate

225g of butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp of milk

325g of icing sugar

• Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt above a bowl of simmering water. Leave to cool
• Beat the butter (again I used my trusty electric whisk) until it is smooth
• Mix the cooled melted chocolate into the butter until well combined
• Add all of the other ingredients and beat until evenly mixed. Take care not to over mix
• Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes - don't be stingy you have enough for a generous frosting!

I decorated my cupcakes with mother-of-pearl stars which I made from very thinly rolled cream florist paste, dusted with edible mother-of-pearl powder, but you can use anything you like. Or nothing!

I was really pleased with these cupcakes. I was worried the chocolate would overpower the banana but I really liked the balance. And they've certainly gone down well with friends and family. So well, in fact, that I don't see myself throwing any black bananas in the bin anytime soon. Now, what better excuse to over-shop?