Banoffee Pie Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

5 from 2 votes

Banoffee Pie Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

These banoffee pie cupcakes have it all – the soft and moist banana cupcakes, the luscious caramel centre and the fluffiest of whipped cream frostings. Complete with a generous sprinkle of chocolate shavings, they are delicious to eat, pretty to look at AND easy to prepare.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten Free

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings cupcakes

Author Kat | The Loopy Whisk

Ingredients

For banana cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups (330 g) mashed bananas (3 medium bananas)
3 tsp lemon juice
1 1/3 sticks (150 g) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
2 medium eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp (225 g) plain gluten free flour blend (I've used Doves farm plain gluten free flour blend, which doesn't contain xanthan gum)
1/2 cup (50 g) almond flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your GF flour blend already contains xanthan)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg

For salted caramel centre:

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/3 stick (35 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (60 mL) double/heavy cream
pinch of salt

For whipped cream frosting:

2 1/2 cups (600 mL) double/heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered/icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
pinch of salt

You will also need

chocolate shavings or chocolate sprinkles of choice

Instructions

For banana cupcakes:

Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin baking tin with cupcake liners.
Mix the mashed bananas with the lemon juice and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter and light brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla paste, and whisk until well combined.
Sift together the plain gluten free flour blend, almond flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, and add them to the wet ingredients. Whisk or stir well until you get a smooth batter with no flour clumps.
Divide the banana cupcake batter evenly among the 12 cupcakes, so that each cupcake liner is about 3/4 full.
Bake at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for about 20 minutes, until slightly domed, golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
Remove the cupcakes from the cupcake tin, and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack.

For the salted caramel centre:

In a pot or saucepan, melt the sugar on medium-high heat while constantly stirring, until it is a deep golden brown.
Add the butter, and mix well until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated into the caramel. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly on the addition of butter!) Allow to cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add the double/heavy cream in a slow stream, all the while mixing vigorously. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly and release steam on the addition of double cream!)
Spoon out a small amount of the caramel sauce, allow it to cool, and check its consistency. If it's too thick, you can add a bit more double/heavy cream, and repeat the process until you reach the desired consistency.
(The salted caramel shouldn't be too runny, as it has to somewhat hold its shape – you don't want it to all leak out the moment you bite into a cupcake. Instead, we're aiming for a "luxurious ooze".)
After the final addition of the double/heavy cream, add the salt and allow the salted caramel to cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

For whipped cream frosting:

In a big bowl, whip together heavy/double cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. You can use a stand or hand mixer – or even do it by hand.
I like to stop at the soft peak stage because the pressure inside the piping bag (as you're piping the frosting) causes the whipped cream to stiffen further. If you try to pipe it and it seems too loose (so that the frosting is losing its shape), whip it about 20 - 30 seconds more. Remember: you can always whip it more, but it's difficult to save over-whipped, split cream!
Add in the vanilla paste and salt, and mix briefly until it's evenly distributed.

Assembling the cupcakes:

Use an apple corer or a piping nozzle, turned upside-down, to create a hole in the middle of each cupcake. Fill it with the salted caramel sauce.
Pipe the whipped cream frosting with a piping nozzle of choice (I used a Wilton 1M nozzle).
Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Enjoy!

Storage:

The banoffee pie cupcakes keep well in a closed container in a cool dry place for about 2 - 3 days.