Banoffi Pie Cupcakes

Banoffi pie is one of my absolute all‑time favourite desserts — that combination of crisp biscuit or pastry base, whipped cream, golden slices of unctuous banana and smooth caramel sends my taste buds into food heaven, and every opportunity I have to make it, I do. With that thought in mind, I figured it was about time I combined it with another fabulous favourite… the humble cupcake!

Moist, banana‑infused cake topped with a marbled vanilla and caramel frosting, sprinkled with shortbread crumbs and finished with a jaunty little sweetened banana chip perched proudly on top. You could add some plain chocolate chips into the cake batter if you want to be extra naughty… You know you want to!

What you need

Cupcakes

• 150g cake margarine
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 150g self‑raising flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 large very ripe banana, mashed with a fork
• 100g plain chocolate chips (optional)

Frosting

• 150g butter
• 75g Trex
• 300g icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Dulce de leche or Nestlé tinned caramel
• 2 shortbread biscuits, crushed (for sprinkling)
• 12 dried sweetened banana chips

What you do

Make the cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line a 12‑hole muffin tin with large paper cupcake cases.
2. Cream the cake margarine, vanilla essence and caster sugar until soft, light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the self‑raising flour and mashed banana and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips if using.
6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
7. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and springy to the touch.
8. Cool in the tin to prevent the paper cases coming away from the cakes.

Make the frosting

1. Place the Trex, vanilla extract and butter into a bowl and beat until smooth.
2. Add the icing sugar and beat again to make a smooth buttercream.
3. To marble the frosting, place the buttercream into a piping bag on one side, then turn the bag and spoon the Dulce de leche down the other side.
4. This gives a beautiful two‑tone swirl when piped.

To finish

1. Pipe a generous swirl of the two‑tone buttercream onto each cooled cupcake.
2. Sprinkle with crushed shortbread.
3. Top each cupcake with a sweetened dried banana chip.