Elvis Cupcakes

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I'm one of those people who hates to go to a friend's house without a little thank you gift. Other people who feel similarly often give wine, chocolates or flowers- I give baked goods.

A quick look at my cupboards and fruit bowl and I realised that I had an abundance of overripe bananas and a rare treat- peanut butter. A little spark of useless knowledge flickered at the back of my mind and I remembered reading somewhere that Elvis Presley loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I'm a big fan of peanut butter and banana bagels for breakfast so could definitely vouch for the yumminess of the flavour combination!

So in honour of Elvis Presley, I decided to try a banana cupcake topped with a peanut butter and brown sugar icing, to give to some of my dear friends, who I was visiting this weekend in Gateshead and York.

I have to say that I was quite pleased with the result, as were my friends. The cake was full of banana goodness. The icing was thick, creamy and enhanced by the slight crunch of the peanut bits from the peanut butter. It piped beautifully and held its shape well despite sitting in a car on the A1 for a few hours!

Ingredients (Makes 9 large iced cupcakes, 12-15 small)
3 overripe bananas, mashed
250g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
100g dark muscavado sugar
4 eggs, large
100g softened butter
1tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the icing:
150g softened butter
100g dark brown muscavado sugar
250g icing sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1tbs maple syrup
2 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp milk

To finish:
1tbsp cocoa powder

Method:
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (175 if you have a hot/fan oven) Beat the butter and sugars together and combine the eggs in one by one. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in the bananas. If the mixture is too thick add a couple of drops of milk. Spoon into cupcake cases held in tins, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a cooling rack until room temperature.

For the icing: Beat the butter and incorporate the sugars, vanilla extract, maple syrup, peanut butter and mixed spice until  If too thick, add the milk. You can use smooth peanut butter if you prefer not to have the crunchy texture of the nuts.

Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with a large round tipped nozzle. Pipe the icing in a spiral onto each cold cupcake and dust with cocoa.

Delicious with Yorkshire Tea, although I think Elvis might have washed it down with something a little stronger!