March 28, 2012

Blueberry Banana and Cream



Usually my mind is whirling with a million seems-so-brilliant ideas, and I’m brimming with inspiration to put them into action. 

And yet, there are those times when no matter how much I scout around, inspiration is elusive. Today is one such day, unfortunately.

Not even the promise of rain gets me in the mood. There’s this impending sense of loom I’m not able to shake away. My gut feeling tells me to pause, slow down the pace, take it down a notch.



Instead of spending too much time worrying, I’m going to breeze through this post, in between mugs of freshly brewed tea and sweet moments of repose.

Last week when it started to drizzle, I gave in to the urge to bake. Alas, the rain subsided even before I decided on a recipe. But, I was happy to finally embrace this fleeting and wonderful wet season.

With thoughts still lingering on overcast skies and evening walks in rain, I went ahead and made these delectable blueberry banana cream cupcakes.

The berry banana cake turned out amazingly good, not only by virtue of its look and ease, but the perfect moist texture and delicious taste. Compared to bakery versions, these cupcakes are definitely healthier, ready in less than an hour, and are really good even without the topping. In fact, I prefer cakes without any fancy frosting—to go with a cup of strong tea for breakfast or teatime. Topped with sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries, they are the perfect little treats for dessert.
Blueberry pairs perfectly with banana, and I was glad to make use of the bananas that were languishing in the fruit basket as they were too ripe to eat. Now when it comes to food, I’m particular about the presentation and design as much as the nutrition and taste. I baked a few cakes in these cute bake and serve silicone teacupcake moulds to the utter delight of my kids who gobbled them up in minutes.

The house smelled divine and kids form the neighborhood who popped in to say hello were curious to know what was cooking. A few of them even watched me play around with the food and click few shots.

And so, without further ado, here’s the recipe.
Blueberry Banana and Cream

Adapted from Marks & Spenser Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 12
Prep + cooking: 45 min

125g butter
½ cup (125ml) milk
2 eggs
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 large overripe banana (230g), mashed (I used 1 ½ medium bananas)
1 ½ cups (225g) self-raising flour
½ cup (75g) fresh blueberries

Topping
1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
½ cup (75g) fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon icing sugar
20 g vanilla powder ( I used al alali)
icing sugar, extra, for dusting

Directions

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan-assisted, and line 18 holes of two 12-hole muffin tins with paper muffin cases.

Sift the flour twice; set aside.

Stir butter and milk in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts; cool. Alternatively microwave butter and milk on high power for a couple of minutes until butter melts; stir to combine.

Beat eggs in small bowl with electric mixture until thick and creamy, this will take a couple of minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions. Stir in banana. Fold in sifted flour and butter mixture, in two batches. Divide mixture among paper cases, allowing room for them to rise.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove pans from oven; press blueberries into tops of cakes. Bake further 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Turn cakes onto wire racks to cool. Cool completely before you frost them.

While the cupcakes are cooking, prepare the cream topping, if using.

Whip cream; stir in icing sugar and vanilla powder. Top each cake with generous spoonfuls of sweetened whipped cream. Place blueberries on cream. Dust cakes with finely sifted icing sugar.

And now it’s time to enjoy this fruity, moist treat with a cup of tea, or glass of milk.

Happy Wednesday! Hope you have a perfectly beautiful week enjoying every single moment of this beautiful season before it fades away.

And oh, don't forget to check out the updated pictures of my old posts, strawberry rice pudding and mango sip

66 comments:

  1. Awesome recipe and amazing clicks, and those moulds, they look so cute..

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  2. So graciously inviting! I'm also one who doesn't need fancy frosting, and I'd be happy to gobble these up even just as they are!

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    1. Glad to know I'm not the only one who enjoys cakes without frosting :)

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  3. I too don't like any frosting on cupcakes! These sounds delicious and with blue berries .. so yum. Such cute cups you used there .. so tiny :)

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  4. OMG.... It's damn good....

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  5. so inviting and delectable looking babies. I hope your spirits are up sooner than you can imagine. Lots of love,

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  6. so yummy and lovely muffins..awesome clicks as usual :)

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  7. Lovely pics......Love the brown cup most of all :)

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  8. Your pictures are always a pleasure n treat 2 eyes dear..those cupcakes look incredible..loved all ur cupcake liners

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  9. wow visual treat...am drooling so much that the whole place is flooding ;)

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  10. Stunning post Nashira!!! The cup cakes look perfect :)

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  11. wow....yummy muffins.....as always perfect clicks too

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  12. Yummy cupcakes.. love the snaps!!!

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  13. I love these amazingly made cup cakes. Perfect presentation as always.

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  14. adipoli aayittundu Nashi..........you're always welcome dear........

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  15. They r so inviting amazing clciks

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  16. Yummy and tempting cupcake....wish I could get some blue berries here too :(

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  17. They look awesome.. lovely clicks.. my kid cn easily gobble a couple of them :) he loves blueberries!

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  18. What a sunny muffin ........ lighted up my spirits. I can imagine all that hard work that went behind the scenes. Beautiful !

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  19. These muffins look so fluffy, light and tasty. Beautiful photos once again!

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  20. tooo good!! loved those muffins...

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  21. Wonderfully beautifully amazingly delicious photographs! :D
    Edible Entertainment

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  22. Amazing pictures.. The white background works like a wonder!

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  23. Awesome clicks, awesome muffins, awesome texture what else is needed for the post. Very beautiful Nash :)

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  24. Awesome!! your recipes and the clicks are always superb dear !!!loved them...too good
    Anjana

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  25. Wow! A visual treat..looks awesome,perfect texture and looks so inviting..

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  26. Nice clicks. Looks tempting........

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  27. Oh my! what stunning pictures! I am so glad I found ur blog. Am following u.

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  28. Amazing clicks dear!!!this looks sooo tempting

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  29. Ooooh u always amaze me with ur clicks. Looks so tempting

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  30. Wow..what gorgeous pictures..and the mini muffins are looking absolutely yum in those white cups!

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  31. Loved the pics - Esp the Blueberries solo versions :)

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  32. Such gorgeous pictures, your muffins look so inviting. I know what you mean about inspiration being elusive, I think we all have those days, as frustrating as they are. I hope your inspiration returns soon. :D

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    1. Thank you Jennifer! Yes, these moments pass--that's the cycle of life, right?

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  33. I am also not a fan of frosting, it is cloyingly sweet for my taste. This looks so perfect, I love blueberries in baked good, they somehow retain their juiciness and burst in your mouth! Amazing photos. Whenever I try to use back light in my photographs, the background becomes too white when I try to correct the white balance. I should work on that!

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    1. I mostly work with backlight, really love the way it captures details and creates moods. And there's no better way to master anything than by practice, we all learn from our trial and errors, now don't we? :)

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  34. You never failed to impress with your clicks! I love cupcake/muffin without any of those topping, looks irresistible!

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  35. Amazing photographs! I love the style...Consistent, precise and pretty. I'd love to try your recipe =)

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    1. You are too kind Fudo, thank you! Please do try the recipe, it yields really moist and flavorful cupcakes.

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  36. Great photography !! delicious one !!

    Ongoing event CC:Vegan Diet - Plant Based Food

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  37. Awesome photography! I love blueberries and totally love these cupcakes

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  38. Looks gorgeous! Blueberries are in plentiful right now and my favorite. These look so tempting. Will have to try this out.

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  39. Your pics always lift my spirits up.. Hope they have the same effect on you too. The cupcakes are beautiful and i too prefer my cakes without frosting

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    Replies
    1. ...and it's your thoughtful, warm words that lift my spirit ...thank you!

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  40. Such gorgeous cupcakes... love the combination! must have been yummy!

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  41. Lovely clicks ...Cant stop admiring them... I m usually a disaster in baking ... but i m tempted 2 try aftr seeing ur post ... which oven do u use ?

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    1. This's a really delicious and foolproof recipe, I'd recommend you try it! Mine is electric oven, Whirlpool. Good luck!

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  42. mmm, yum! the pics are just fabulous... awesome...u doen this perfectly..
    Maha

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely in love with your blog - its so late here and am so so sleepy but can't help myself browsing thru your collection !!

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    2. Aww, you are a love! Thanks so much Turmeric and Spice!

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  43. Wow my eyes are burning working late night and lack of sleep but these pics seem to put my eyeballs right!

    I request you to come up with a recipe for musk melon and another for mushroom. I've come to love your recipes. Strawberry smoothie is a regular in my house now. Do you have a fool proof recipe for strawberry ice cream? I've ice cream maker but yet to use it.

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    1. Ginza, you are a sweetheart! I'll be more than happy to consider your request for melon and mushroom recipes. And girl, you are so lucky to have an ice cream maker, I don't have one yet!

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  44. Awesome. Love the pictures and the recipe.

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  45. im in love with the silicone moulds with the handles.. how utterly cute! would happily gobble a couple of these beauties

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  46. These pictures are gorgeous! Everything looks so great, I want to reach out and take it all!

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  47. ah yes I have those days too, in fact it happend recently. you are right to take it a notch down. How much I d love to enjoy your cupcakes on a nice afternoon in a garden in your company. =) Are those real cups or paper moulds?

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  48. I always enjoy your multiple beautiful shots! So many styling even with the same food. I love sweets with fresh blueberries and this looks so good!

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  49. Those cup molds are extremely cute!!!! Great clicks :)

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  50. Everything looks so beautiful and i wanted to get those teacup moulds too :) do you like using them? ~

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  51. You have just become one of my most favorite blogs ~ so happy I found you. Beautiful!

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  52. Beautiful pictures! Love the banana & blueberry combo...I love your moulds..WANT!

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A million thank you's for stopping by, taking the time to connect, and coming back to visit again. I genuinely appreciate each of your kind thoughts, lovely words, love and support. Happy, happy to hear from you, and hope to see you again!

♥ Nashi