Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy Jenica Braddock, Cupcake Wars, 2011

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Picture of Chocolate Banana Cupcakes Recipe Photo: Chocolate Banana Cupcakes Recipe
Rated 3 stars out of 5
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  • Read 3 Reviews
Total Time:
1 hr 30 min
Prep
45 min
Inactive
15 min
Cook
30 min
Yield:
24 cupcakes
Level:
Easy
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Ingredients

  • 3 sticks butter
  • 3 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups milk
  • 5 ripe pureed bananas
  • French Banana Buttercream, recipe follows
  • Chocolate Ganache, recipe follows
  • Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake or muffin pan with 24 regular-size cupcake liners.

Measure all the ingredients accurately. Bring all the ingredients to room temperature. Place the butter in the mixing bowl. With the paddle attachment, beat the butter slowly until it is smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar; cream the mixture at moderate speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time. After each addition, beat until the eggs are incorporated before adding more. After the eggs are fully incorporated, mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg together. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Then add one-quarter of the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until blended. Mix the milk and banana puree. Add approximately one-third of the liquids. Mix just until blended in. Repeat until all ingredients are incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners half full with batter and bake until golden and baked through, about 35 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.

To assemble: Cut the center out of each cupcake and fill with the French Banana Buttercream. Dip the top of the cupcake in the Chocolate Ganache. Generously frost the top of each cupcake with the Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting.

This recipe was created by a contestant during a cooking competition. The Food Network Kitchens have not tested it for home use; therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

French Banana Buttercream:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 1/2 sticks butter
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ripe banana, pureed

Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Dissolve the sugar. Boil until it reaches 240 degrees F.

While the syrup is boiling, bet the yolks with an electric mixer with a wire whip until thick and light.

When the syrup reaches temperature, pour it very slowly into the beaten yolks while whipping constantly. Continue to beat until the mixture is completely cool and the yolks are very thick and light.

Whip in the butter a little at a time, adding it just as fast as it's absorbed by the mixture.

Beat in the vanilla and banana puree. If the icing is too soft, refrigerate until it is firm enough to spread.

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 1 pound chocolate chips
  • 12 ounces heavy cream

Put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream to a simmer. Once a simmer is reached, pour over the chocolate chips. Using a whisk, whip until smooth and creamy.

Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 cups egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 4 sticks butter, cubed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons chocolate ganache

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Boil to reach 230 degrees F. Leave it alone. Cook over medium heat.

While the syrup is boiling, using a whip attachment, start beating the egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Once peaks begin to form, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar to make the peaks stiff.

When the syrup reaches temperature, slowly pour it into the beaten egg whites while whipping constantly with the mixer on the lowest speed. Beat on high until cool, about 5 minutes.

Turn down to medium-low speed and add the butter on the sides and scrape. Turn to high and beat until you have a smooth texture. Add the vanilla and chocolate ganache.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 3 reviews

  • on January 11, 2013

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    The cake is very very easy to make and they turn out absolutely delicious and moist! I don't know if it was the oven or the pans I was using but the baking time for me was about 20 minutes not the full 35. My cupcakes also didn't really rise. They stayed somewhat flat and I think it was because of the amount of butter. The french banana buttercream was somewhat easy to make. I definitely needed another person help me with that because pouring in the syrup is crucial. The frosting is very, very light and tasty!!! Big hit! The chocolate ganache very easy to make however, I found it to be a bit too bitter (I used semi-sweet chips so I added about two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Lastly, I found the Italian meringue very, very difficult to make. It turned out really soupy so I refrigerated it but it didn't look too nice on the cupcake. Overall the entire cupcake tastes amazing!

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  • on December 20, 2012

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    This recipe was disappointing. I followed the recipe exactly (taking the disclaimer into account. The actual cupcake was delicious, the ganache turned out fine, but the french banana buttercream was curdled and soupy. I gave up on even attempting the Italian meringue buttercream. I can't get anyone in the house to eat them. I brought them into work and am having trouble giving them away. Next time, I'll stick to the whole banana cupcake with the chocolate ganache frosting.

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  • on October 18, 2012

    Flag

    Delicious! The cake was fluffy and moist. It had great flavor, too- the banana and the nutmeg stood out the most. The french banana buttercream was absolutely AMAZING, even though the first time I tried it I boiled the sugar too long and the water evaporated, making it like rock candy. It worked the second time I tried it. Also, the chocolate ganache was GREAT. It had the perfect amount of richness. But, I have to give a thumbs-down to the italian meringue buttercream frosting. The texture was just awful. It was soupy and grainy. I refrigerated it for a whole night, but it didn't make a difference. It tasted just fine; it was the texture that was the problem. It was impossible to pipe it on to the cupcakes. I ended up just spooning the chocolate ganache over them and then refrigerating them until it hardened. They were delicious!

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