Delicious banana and maple syrup cupcakes topped with a carmalised nut brittle!

SO, if there's one thing to know about me as a person, it's that I LOVE bananas. I mean, I am addicted to them, especially in baking. I love the natural sweetness of banana in cakes and bakes, and find that it allows the cake to have a good all-around sweet flavour, without the (sometimes crazy) amount of sugar.

I actually saw a recipe featured in a baking magazine in January, featuring a banana cupcake, topped with a brittle, making it look insanely yummy. I added this tip into my family's maple and banana bread, and instead baked the batter in cupcake cases! You could also go for a more classic approach, and make a full banana bread loaf, but cupcakes are good for parties and events, or for easy access as a snack around the house! I have also found you a video on Jamie Oliver's youtube channel of a similar recipe, therefore, if you would like to watch someone making a similar recipe, to see the process fully, or to follow along with, do have a look here!

These lovely little cupcakes include (makes 12):

---

Cake Ingredients:

---

120 g- Plain Flour (You could substitute for self-raising flour and exclude the baking powder)

90 g - Caster sugar 

20 g - Soft brown sugar (Could use dark muscovado sugar but it will be quite bitter)

2 - Large Eggs (In an emergency medium should be fine, just add a dash of milk if necessary)

1/2 tsp - Bicarbonate of Soda 

1 tsp - Baking Powder

110 g - Softened Unsalted butter (or salted, but exclude the pinch of salt)

Pinch - Salt

Handful - Nuts (If desired) - Hazelnuts, pecans etc.

1 and 1/2 - Bananas - Ripe

2 tbsp - Maple syrup

---

Cake Procedure:

---

1. Pre-heat your oven to gas-mark 4 or equivalent
2. Put softened butter, and both types of sugar into a bowl, and mix with an electric mixer (or wooden spoon etc.) until light and fluffy. 
3. Mush your banana in a separate bowl and add to your butter and sugar. Mix until combined.
4. Crack your eggs into this mixture, along with your maple syrup, and combine.
5. Slowly fold in your left-over dry ingredients.
6. If desired, add some chopped nuts. 
7. Line a cupcake tin with paper cases, and fill about 3/4 of the cases with your cake batter.
8. Bake in your pre-headed oven for about 20 minutes (Check every so often to make sure you don't burn the cupcakes, as every oven has a slightly different cooking time (even at the same temperature)). Poke your cupcakes with a skewer to check if they're cooked, if this comes out clean, remove the cupcake tin from the oven. If not, leave for a couple more minutes and try again. 
   
9. Cool your cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes and then place them onto a cooling rack until completely cool. If you try to frost the cakes when they're hot, the frosting will melt and you will have some messy cupcakes (don't worry, they'll still be delicious).

The optional brittle includes (method from Jamie Oliver's Youtube):

Finished brittle

---

Brittle Ingredients:

---

Handful - Choice of nuts (Your preference. I love hazelnuts. Pecans work well with banana bread - very classic mix)

1/2 tbsp - Butter 

100 g - Caster Sugar

60 ml - Water

---

Brittle Procedure:

---

1. In a small saucepan, add your caster sugar and then water (try to cover as much sugar as possible)
2. Let this come to the boil (it will take some patience)
3. Whilst this is happening, lightly oil some greaseproof paper (so that the hardened brittle cannot stick) and place this on a surface/baking tray/plate etc.
4. Once this mixture is a golden colour (see photos) remove from the heat.
5. Immediately add your butter into the mixture and stir together.
6. The mixture will bubble because of the addition of the oil. Once this settles down a bit, add your nuts, into the mix, ensuring they are properly combined, and fully covered. 
7. Pour your mixture onto the prepared paper and spread evenly, allow to cool and harden.
8. Leave this until your cakes are frosted and then add to the top as some decoration. 

When to turn off the heat

When butter is added and nuts are ready to be added

The amazing maple frosting includes:

---

Frosting Ingredients:

---

120 g - Butter 

300 g - Icing sugar

2/3 tbsp - Maple Syrup 

---

Frosting Procedure:

---

1. Beat butter until soft and fluffy (easier to use a hand/stand mixer)
2. Slowly add the icing sugar in parts (unless you want icing sugar everywhere). Combine these together. 
3. Add 2 tbsp of maple syrup and beat with your mixture until a good consistency has formed (not runny, but light and soft enough to spread). If the mixture is too wet add some more icing sugar, and if it's too stiff add another tbsp of maple syrup).
4. Put this aside until your cakes are cool and then frost them with as much or as little as you like (if your kitchen is quite hot you might want to refrigerate this whilst your cupcakes are cooling so it keeps its consistency).

I hope you all love this recipe, as I did very much enjoy the addition of the brittle as a crunchy topper and fancy decoration. However, feel free to stick with the more classic version and just make the cakes alone or together with the frosting. As I said a banana/maple banana bread recipe is one of the most popular in my family in generations! And that's without frosting or carmalised nuts as decoration. Whilst not being the most beautiful looking bake, it tastes AMAZING so this recipe is also pretty good! Try the cake at least, if you like something a little less sweet, or a little less high-maintenance!

Equipment I use: 

Spatula - 
http://amzn.to/1SpFwcb
http://amzn.to/235Cr8F
Pallette knife (Essential for icing smoothly - especially on bigger cakes) -
http://amzn.to/1RsoI7X
http://amzn.to/1SpFocx
Measuring utensils:
http://amzn.to/1SpFCAk
http://amzn.to/1SpFEs6
http://amzn.to/1SpFHEb
http://amzn.to/1Rsp66h
Cake stand -
http://amzn.to/1SpFLUm
http://amzn.to/1SpFMrm
http://amzn.to/1Rsp7XU
Mixer -
http://amzn.to/1SpFSzp
http://amzn.to/1SpG0Pq
Mixing bowls -
http://amzn.to/1RspcuO
http://amzn.to/1SpFXTK
Cupcake tray -
http://amzn.to/1SpG5Tb
Cupcake cases -
http://amzn.to/1RspiT2
Cake turntable (essential for smooth icing on big cakes) -
http://amzn.to/1RspmSP
Baking sheet -
http://amzn.to/1Rspodi
Cake tins -
http://amzn.to/1SpGh50
http://amzn.to/1SpGiWv
Colour paste / gel -
http://amzn.to/235CDEI

I love to buy from Amazon as there's FREE NEXT DAY delivery if you're a prime member - including free 30 day trial and 6 month trial for students!
Sign up here for your free trial - http://amzn.to/1SpHeKA*

(This post is not sponsored, all opinions are my own. I have included one affliliate link, however).

Healthy and simple - super-seed cinnamon-nut granola (VEGAN)

I awoke last week to a beautiful sunny day outside, the kind of day that just makes you want to bake everything in existence and yet be the healthiest you've ever been. I decided to try to accomplish both!

I'd like to share my new cinnamon-nut granola which is completely healthy and balanced for breakfast, and tastes damn good too. The best thing about this recipe however, is the fact that there are no real necessary ingredients and no real measurements! Feel free to stray from my recipe and adjust this to your personal preferences.

This superfood, nut and seed filled granola includes:

---

Ingredients:

---

3 cups - Basic oats (You can find these anywhere really)

3 tbsp - Coconut oil (Can now be found in most shops/stores)

1 cup of each - Choice of nuts: I used whole hazelnuts and almonds and some flaked almonds

1 cup of each - Choice of seeds: I used Linseed, Flax seed, Pumpkin seed, Sunflower seeds, Chia seeds etc.

1/2 cup - Wheat Bran

1 cup of each - Dried Fruit: Raisins etc.

4 tbsp - Agave nectar: Substitutions - Honey, maple syrup etc.

4 tsp - Cinnamon 

---

Procedure:

---

1. Pre-heat your oven to gas-mark 4 or equivalent
2. Stir together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (with the exception of the cinnamon). Set this aside.
3. Melt the coconut oil and agave nectar in a saucepan on the stovetop, stirring until completion. When this mix is fully melted, add the cinnamon to dissolve.
4. Pour this mixture into your mixing bowl, and thoroughly combine with the dry ingredients (with a spoon or your hands). Once you have combined your ingredients, set this aside
5. Line a large baking tray with grease-proof paper and fill with your mixture. Make sure the tray is evenly covered.
6. Bake your granola in the pre-heated oven for around 30 minutes, or until the oats are crisp and golden, make sure to remove from the oven every 10 mins (or when the top layer of mixture has become crunchy) to mix around and ensure an even bake. 
   
7. Cool your granola and store in an airtight container, ready to enjoy in the morning with some milk or yogurt.

I thoroughly hope you enjoy this delicious granola, it really is a family favourite!