Banana + Peanut Butter Swirl cupcakes w/Chocolate Ganache

January 25th, 2011 by justJENN

My friends call me the Cupcake Fairy because I often drop off my experiments I MEAN CREATIONS, or extra cupcakes on people’s doorsteps, businesses, offices – just a little treat to get them through the day.

Still no banana fan, I know plenty of people who are. So I combined bananas with peanut butter and covered it all in a rich ganache. A sweet little gift from the Cupcake Fairy.

ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 mashed bananas
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup peanut butter

ganache:
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture a little at a time – make sure you don’t overmix!

Soften the peanut butter by microwaving it until you get a fairly runny consistency. Spoon the batter into muffin cups.

Here’s where the swirl comes, are you ready? Add a dollop – I’d say a teaspoon – of peanut butter into the center of the batter. Use a chopstick or knife and swirl the peanut butter around – just enough so it’s incorporated but doesn’t disappear.

Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean – approx 15-17 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling make the ganache. In a saucepan over low-medium heat melt the chocolate, heavy cream and vanilla. Keep and eye on it, and as it starts to melt, stir and stir some more. Keep stirring until you get a nice glossy ganache. Set aside to cool off just for a few minutes, so it will thicken.

Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache and let them set.

This is a sweet little cupcake, full of flavor!