Banana Toffee Cupcakes and Grey's Anatomy-SC #1

Every Thursday night, my good friend Michelle and I get together and watch Grey's Anatomy together.  We are both pretty busy but its really nice to set aside this time every week to hang out and watch a show that we both are addicted to.

This past Christmas, we also exchanged presents, and she got me a bakebook!!!! I would call it a cookbook, but its all desserts and dishes that you bake so that term would not be accurate.
It's called Scrumptious Cupcakes; For the perfect indulgence.

So last night, in honor of our weekly time together, I decided to break it in and give us something sweet to munch on during the show.

It's been very snowy recently in southwestern Michigan, so I was very restricted on what recipes I could actually pull off.  I came across this recipe for Banana Toffee Cupcakes.  It looked simple enough, although it yielded just four cakes, which I suppose is perfect for Michelle and I.  I tweaked the topping a tad bit because I didn't have any heavy whipping cream or toffee sauce, but I did have Cool Whip and crushed Heath Bars.  The cakes turned out very moist because of the banana, however the picture in the book showed the cake a lot darker than mine, but both were cooked throughly.  These cakes are the perfect thing to enjoy by themselves, with the whipped cream and toffee bits, or with a bit of yogurt for a healthy morning breakfast.  Enjoy!


Banana Toffee Cupcakes
makes 4

Cupcakes
5 tbsp butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 small ripe banana, peeled and mashed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease four glass, oven-proof ramekins with butter.

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the eggs. Sift the flour in a separate bowl, and fold in to the mixture.  Add the mashed banana.  (It will look like this isn't enough batter for the ramekins, but the rises considerably) Spoon the mixture evenly into the bowls.

Put the dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and springy to the touch.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.



Topping
2/3 cup heavy cream
    (or one 8 oz pkg of Cool Whip)
1/2 banana peeled and sliced (optional)
2 Tbsp dulce de leche sauce
    (or Heath Bars)
1 Tbsp grated chocolate
    (or 6 oz chocolate)

For the topping, whisk the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. (Use stand mixer) Spoon the whipped cream on top of each cupcake, then arrange 3-4 banana slices on top.  Drizzle over the dulce de leche and sprinkle grated chocolate.  Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I sprinkled the crushed Heath Bars on top of the cupcakes right after they came out of the oven, that way, the chocolate pieces melted and the caramel bits softened creating a sweet, slightly crunchy topping.  Then I put a dollop of Cool Whip on top and sprinkled a couple more toffee bits on top.  then, just for fun, I drizzled some melted chocolate on top.

This is the picture that was in the book,

and this is mine.

Not too shabby.

Recipe courtesy of Parragon Books Ltd.