19 October 2016
Liz Robb
Banana and Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
Preparation
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To make the muffins: 1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees, or 200 degrees fan oven.
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2. Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of cinnamon and then mix together.
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3. In a jug, beat the egg, then whisk in the milk and the vanilla extract.
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4. Melt the butter in a saucepan then turn off the heat. Pour in the egg and milk mixture and stir well together.
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5. Peel and mash the two bananas. Add to the liquid in the saucepan, stirring until well combined.
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6. Spoon the banana mixture into the flour and sugar and then fold it in lightly and gently, not for too long
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the mixture will still look slightly lumpy but, so long as the dry ingredients have been mixed with the wet, that is as it should be.
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7. Spoon the muffin mixture into the paper cases, ready placed in patty tins, and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until they feel springy to the touch.
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To make the chocolate icing:
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1. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a large bowl, if using a handheld mixer, or into a mixer or food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces, add and mix gently with a wooden spoon initially to combine roughly, then use the mixer on a fairly s
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2. Gradually add the milk, mixing slowly, until it has all been mixed in.
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3. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a pyrex bowl placed on a saucepan above, not touching, boiling water, stirring as it melts. Then add the melted chocolate to the other ingredients, stir in gently then mix briskly until everything i
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4. Pipe onto the muffins, or spread if you prefer, and leave to cool to allow the icing to set.
Banana muffins are not too high in sugar compared with most cakes, with some of the sweetness coming from the fruit, and I prefer to make the smaller “fairy cake” muffins rather than the large cupcake size. However, the chocolate icing is truly luscious but really indulgent!
I made the iced muffins as a special treat for a party, but if you want just that taste of chocolate without quite so much sugar, you can omit the icing and make chocolate chip banana muffins instead. Simply add two handfuls of small dark chocolate chips to the muffin mixture and fold them in gently before baking.
This recipe makes about 22 small muffins; I used fairy cake paper cases in patty tins, but you could make mini muffins instead.
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