Rum and Banana Muffins

Rum and Banana Muffins 

I know that muffins don't normally have icing, 

or frosting as our American friends call it, 

but these muffins are so great with the topping. 

With the bananas, buttermilk and spice, 

they are definitely muffins, 

not cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (approximately 3-4 bananas, very ripe)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoon dark, spiced rum (Captain Morgan's)

Icing Ingredients:
450g of cream cheese
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
~ 5-6 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:


Preheat oven to 170C. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients, including cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas, buttermilk, vanilla and rum. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, blending entirely before adding the next egg.

Once the eggs are combined, begin adding the dry and wet ingredients in alternating order. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, beat on slow to combine. Add 1/3 of the wet ingredients, beat on slow to combine. Repeat until all of the wet and dry ingredients have been combined.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup only 3/4 of the way to the top.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing cupcakes. Let cupcakes cool completely before applying frosting.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare the Icing. Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add sifted icing sugar in 1 cup increments. After 4 cups, check for desired sweetness. Continue adding icing sugar until you have achieved desired level of sweetness. Blend in salt, vanilla and cinnamon.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, frost with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Banana Crumble Muffins

I can't count the number of times I have had to throw away what had been good food once upon a time; bananas are one thing I've often had to send to the compost heap, but not any more. Why compost them when they have gone black and are overripe? The Japanese tell us these are even more healthy for us than the beautiful just ripe yellow bananas. Instead of composting over-ripe bananas I peal them, put them in a zip-lock bag and drop them in the freezer for later use in breads, cakes, muffins, almost anything you can bake except maybe pastry. Of course, if the bananas are growing wigs, legs or their own garden, then that's where they belong: in the garden! That's where I'll put them, in the garden. They make magnificent manure just as they are, skins an'all. Just dig a hole, drop them in and cover them with dirt wherever you have some plants that need a little help on their way to blooming or producing nourishment.

Okay, enough gardening; let's get back to the kitchen. These muffins are healthy and delicious, but don't expect them to be soft, airy and luscious. Tasty they may be, but they are more like bread than cake with some surprising ingredients, but they all work together. When you eat these muffins you will know you are getting nourishment. Taken with coffee, tea or whatever is your choice of beverage, they make a delicious breakfast, snack or munchies satisfier.

Ingredients:
For the batter:
500ml flour
60ml sour cream
60ml caramel sauce
60ml brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
60ml melted butter
2 ripe bananas
5ml vanilla
2.5ml salt
2.5ml sodium bicarbonate
7.5ml baking powder

For the crumble:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
50ml melted butter
5ml cinnamon

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the flour.
When completely combined, fold in the flour in 2 or 3 additions. Mix only until the flour is completely combined.
Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners and fill these with your batter. You should get 12 muffins.
For the crumble topping, combine all the ingredients, the using a spoon, sprinkle over all of the muffins, keeping as much as possible in the middle of the muffin.
Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the pan before removing.
Store in an airtight container - if there are any left to store. My family simply devours them one time!

Sweet Summer Smoothies

For the bottom layer, blend:

2 bananas
2 nectarines
1 mango 

Add water and ice as needed and toss in some hulled and sliced strawberries for added sweetness.

For the top layer, blend:
250ml Cherries
250ml Blackberries  

Pour the top layer over the back of a teaspoon onto the bottom layer. Top with a couple of whole blackberries and a sprig of mint.

YUM!

Banana Split Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups digestive biscuit crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
16-oz sour cream
3 bananas, sliced
20-oz can crushed pineapple
Maraschino cherries, with or without stems, for garnish
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Whipped cream or cool whip
Grated chocolate, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 170 C.

In a 13x9 baking dish, melt butter in microwave, then add digestive biscuit crumbs and mix well, pressing the mixture onto the bottom; set aside.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in another mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until completely blended.

Spread this mixture evenly over the crust and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, spread the sour cream over the cream cheese mixture, and bake for 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

While base is cooling, drain crushed pineapple and slice bananas into 1/4" slices; gently toss pineapple and bananas together.

When cool, layer the pineapple and banana mixture over the sour cream and then spread the whipped cream evenly over the top.

Dust with grated chocolate, if desired, then sprinkle with the chopped pecans and the cherries.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving

Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form - texture should be billowy.
Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
Use immediately.

Banana Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

2/3 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, smashed
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated fresh zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Beat butter and sugar. Add in banana, eggs and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda and cinnamon. 

Add the dry  ingredients to the wet. 

Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour into 2 large, greased loaf pans (5x9 or larger).

Bake at 180C for 1 hour or longer, until done.

You can also use for mini muffins or muffins. Mini muffins take 10 to 15 minutes. 

Banana Doughnuts with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Banana Doughnuts

500ml flour

5ml bicarbonate of soda

5ml cinnamon

10ml baking powder

5ml salt

65ml vegetable oil, plus 30ml milk of choice

10ml pure vanilla extract

125ml white sugar

juice and zest of 1 lemon

15ml more sugar

500ml tightly-packed, mashed banana (measured after mashing)

Cream Cheese Frosting

125ml cream cheese, softened

65ml butter, softened

5ml vanilla

750ml icing sugar

Method:

Banana Doughnuts

Preheat oven to 180C

Combine dry ingredients, and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix into dry (Mix by hand, and don’t over-mix.)

Grease a doughnut pan and pour in batter.

Cook 27 minutes (the original recipe said 30-35 minutes, but 27 was perfect for me)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.

Gradually add a cup of powdered sugar and beat.

Continue adding a cup of powdered sugar at a time, until well combined.

Frost each banana doughnut.

Banana Beach Breakfast Muffins

I make a batch or muffins almost every week, varying the ingredients to accommodate what I have in my larder and to match my personal leanings. This week I used dates and coconut, which always make me think of a tropical beach, and bananas remind me of 'home', or what was home for so long - Natal, in South Africa.

Ingredients:

375ml flour

125ml rolled oats

15ml baking powder

2ml salt

150g caster sugar

40g coconut

2-3 ml mixed spice

8 dates, pitted and roughly chopped

125ml dried fruit mix

1 ripe banana

200ml milk

1 egg

100ml vegetable oil

5ml vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, caster sugar, coconut and mixed spice. To this add the chopped dates and dried fruit.

In a mini blender, blitz the banana and 50ml of milk to a loose puree.

In a jug, whisk the remaining milk with the egg, oil and vanilla extract. Add the banana-milk mixture and whisk to blend.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix to a fairly runny batter. Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups with the mixture and bake for 22-25 minutes. Test for doneness with a metal skewer, which should come out clean when the muffins are cooked. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Brandy Pancakes with Van der Hum Sauce

There's so many things you can do with pancakes, but this is so exciting you have got to try it. If you don't have Van der Hum liqueur, which is a unique tangerine flavoured liqueur produced in the Cape winelands of South African, substitute another citrus flavoured liqueur.

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Ingredients:

For the pancakes:
120g cake flour
5ml baking powder
2ml salt
2 eggs
200ml milk
200ml water
5ml brandy
125ml cooking oil

For the Van der Hum Sauce:
60ml Van der Hum Liqueur
120g butter 250ml muscovardo sugar
5ml ground cinnamon
zest of half a lemon
4 bananas, halved lengthwise

To Garnish:
Lemon wedges

Method:

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat together the eggs and milk and stir into the flour mixture. Add the water and beat the mixture until it has the consistency of thin cream. Pour in the brandy and cooking oil and stir thoroughly.

Cook the pancakes in a greased heavy based frying pan.

To make the sauce, heat together the Van der Hum, butter, sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest, stirring until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the bananas and simmer for a few minutes, coating the bananas with the liquid sauce.

Place a banana half on each pancake and roll up. Put the rolled up pancakes in a serving dish and pour the remaining sauce over all the roll ups.

Serve each pancake with a wedge of lemon.

Banana Bread

Banana bread is a favourite tea bread in South Africa, so easy to make that I've been baking this since I first put on an apron at the age of twelve. Even here in the UK, bananas are cheep and easy to come by and, to top it all, they ripen so quickly, there isn't much else you can do with them when they are over ripe but use them in a cake, pudding or dessert like this. This mixture could also be used for a steamed pudding, but then I'd rather leave out the nuts and put them in a honey or syrup sauce to serve hot with the pudding.

Ingredients:
75ml vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 ripe bananas
zest of 1 lemon
juice of half a lemon
125g light brown sugar
375ml flour
15ml baking powder
5ml salt
50-70g walnuts, chopped

75-80ml milk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a blender, blend the oil, eggs, bananas, lemon zest and lemon juice until the mixture is fairly smooth.

In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and walnuts until homogeneously bended. Make a well in the centre and add the banana mixture. Fold into the dry ingredients to make a blended batter.

Lastly, add enough milk into the batter to make it flowing but not too runny.

Put the batter in a greased loaf pan that has also been lined with baking paper, which slightly overlaps the side of the pan. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, checking if it is done with a metal skewer poked into the centre of the loaf. The skewer should come out clean when the loaf is cooked through.

When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before lifting from the pan using the overlapping sides of the baking paper. It should come out clean.

When cool enough, remove the paper and serve sliced with butter. If it is too warm the butter will melt into the slices and make them soggy. I prefer to allow the loaf to cool to about room temperature before slicing and buttering.

Yum yum yum!

Cook's Tip

In using vegetable oil and/or bananas as I have done in this recipe you can avoid using butter or margarine.

Banana Nut Muffins

As a family, we love to have muffins with breakfast.

With lots of fibre and minerals,

these banana muffins make a great energy boost for the start of your day.

Research has shown that banana,

believed to be the first fruit cultivated by man,

can increase alertness and help children with concentration in school.

You could say,

"A banana a day keeps the doctor away,"

as there is hardly an organ in the body that doesn't

benefit from this wonderful fruit.

All the more reason to eat banana muffins!

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Ingredients:

500ml cake flour

250ml whole-wheat flour

250ml white sugar

250ml muscovardo sugar

10ml baking powder

5ml bicarbonate of soda

2ml salt

250g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 extra-large eggs

175ml whole milk

10ml vanilla extract

2 mashed ripe bananas

1 ripe banana, chopped

250ml chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

250ml granola

250ml desiccated coconut

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Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line one full and one half large muffin pans (18 large muffin cups) with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over-mix.

Fold the chopped banana, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each to the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Pumpkin Banana Mouse Pie

When we first lived in Mt Edgecombe, Natal,

our house backed onto a blue gum plantation.

Between the forest and the back garden

there was a fairly wide strip of land

that became overgrown with weeds if not cleared from time to time.

To keep the weeds at bay we planted bananas, pumpkin and squash there.

They did so well in the warm, moist environment,

giving us a bumper crop each year,

which necessitated finding ways to use them.

Here's one that went down well with all the family,

except my husband, who refuses to eat any curcubits,

although he will eat cucumber,

which I'm not fond of as it gives me wind.

He doesn't know what he is missing!

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Ingredients:

Biscuit base:

1/2 packet of ginger biscuits

1/2 packet digestive biscuits

100ml sugar

5ml cinnamon

125g melted butter

.

Filling:

125ml double cream

425g cooked mashed pumpkin

250ml soft brown sugar - Demerara or Muscovado

5ml salt

5ml cinnamon

1ml nutmeg

3 egg yolks

1 packet gelatin powder

60ml cold water

1-2 bananas, mashed or blended in a mini blender

zest of 1 orange

125ml double cream

30ml caster sugar

Whipped cream, orange zest and a sprinkling of cinnamon to decorate

Icing sugar for a dusted topping

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Method:

To make the base:

Put the biscuits in a blender and blitz them to a fine crumb texture.

Add the sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and mix to a crumbly dough.

Press this mixture into the base of a 8-9 inch spring-form cake tin, the base of which has been lined with baking paper.

Bake this in a 180C oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once it has cooled, this can be refrigerated for an hour or so to harden if you have time.

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To make the Filling:

Warm the double cream in a double boiler, or a glass dish over a pan of boiling water.

Into the cream, mix the pumpkin, soft brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, adding a little of the pumpkin mixture to it and whisking this before adding to the pumpkin mixture. Blend over hot water.

Soften the gelatin in the cold water.

Take the pumpkin off the heat and add the banana, softened gelatin and the zest of an orange.

Place the double cream and caster sugar in a glass bowl and whisk until you reach the soft peak stage. Be careful not to over whisk, or you'll end up with butter.

Fold the cream into the pumpkin mixture.

Pour this filling into the pan with the crust and put it into the fridge to set.

Once set, remove from the cake tin and place on a serving plate. Decorate with whipped cream, piped around the edge, leaving the pumpkin layer in the centre of the pie exposed. Sprinkle orange zest and cinnamon over the pumpkin filling and dusk with a little icing sugar.

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