- Makes 24 cupcakes - Ready in 1 hour -
*uses up 1 ripe banana and 1 average apple*
Gather together…
40g butter (sliced and melted in the microwave, on HIGH for 30 seconds, or so).
150g plain flour (sieved).
1 tsp baking powder (sieved).
1 tsp ground cinnamon (sieved).
1/2 tsp ground ginger (sieved).
50g brown sugar.
1 egg (beaten).
100ml milk.
1 tsp vanilla extract (the Taylor & Colledge brand is fairtrade certified / the Dr Oetker brand is alcohol free).
1 ripe banana, mashed very well.
1 medium apple (peeled, de-cored and chopped into small pieces (1cm x 1cm x 1cm). BUT don't prepare the apple until instructed to by the recipe, or else the flesh will start to brown in the air.
Handful of muesli (to sprinkle over the top just before baking).
Get cooking…
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan) or Gas 4.
2. Get out a 12-hole cupcake bun tin and line the holes with cases. I have reusable silicone cupcake cases, (5cm diameter at the base and 2.5cm deep) which can be re-used for years (but they do need washing and drying VERY well after use), if you know you won't care for re-usable cases properly then you can get unbleached, compostable 'If You Care' baking cases, the 'large' size cases fit standard baking tins.
3. Slice and melt the 40g of butter in a small ceramic bowl in the microwave.
4. Sieve the 150g of plain flour, the 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and the 1/2 tsp of ground ginger into a medium/large mixing bowl.
5. Add the 50g of brown sugar to the mixing bowl and stir to distribute.
6. Now add the 40g of melted butter and stir it into the dry ingredients just very slightly (we are only mixing it a bit to cool the butter down, so it doesn't scramble the eggs, which will be added shortly).
7. In a medium jug beat the egg, then to the jug add the 100ml of milk, the 1 tsp of vanilla extract and the one mashed banana - stir well to combine. Set the jug aside.
8. Now peel, de-core and chop the apple into small 1cm x 1cm x 1cm pieces and mix it into the dry ingredients (just until the apple pieces are coated in flour, as this helps to stop them sinking during baking).
9. Pour the wet ingredients from the jug into the mixing bowl and stir just until there are no dry patches - don't over-mix or the cakes will be tough.
10. Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 cupcake cases, each case will be approximately half full.
11. Put a handful of dry muesli into a small bowl and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of muesli onto the surface of each cupcake.
12. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until well risen and golden brown (DON'T open the oven door to check on them until near the end of the baking time).
13. Put the cakes (in their cases) onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.
14. These cupcakes will last up to three days if kept in an airtight container at (cool-ish) room temperature, but they will probably be devoured before then...
This recipe was adapted from Aldi's 'Mini Apple and Banana Muffins' recipe.