Gluten free banana chocolate chip cupcakes

On Sunday we had Easter tea and cakes followed by an Easter egg hunt in the garden! For the next few days I will be sharing with you my Easter recipes and then it is on to pastures new! I hope you enjoy the recipes and can use them for other occasions too!

This Easter I decided to make gluten free banana and choc chips cupcakes, with a white chocolate buttercream piped nest sprinkled with coconut, adorned with fondant flowers and filled with a handmade chocolate egg. They went down a treat and I will definitely be making them again. They were super moist and had just the right amount of banana versus choc chips. The ultimate compliment was that I was told they didn't taste gluten free!

Gluten free banana chocolate chip cupcakes (makes 24 cupcake size cakes)

Ingredients

• 125g (4.5 ounces) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 150g (5.2 ounces) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225g (8 ounces) gluten free self-raising flour
• 60 ml semi skimmed milk
• 100g (3.5 ounces) 40 % milk chocolate chips
• 2 fresh bananas, chopped

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F)
2. Line and grease tin
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour
4. Beat in eggs, flour, milk and vanilla extract
5. Fold in the dark choc chips and chopped banana
6. Pipe batter into cases
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cakes bounce back when lightly pressed
8. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool

White chocolate buttercream (for 24 cupcake size cakes)
Ingredients

• 225g (1 cup) white butter, softened
• 225g (8 oz) white chocolate drops
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 110g (1 cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Method

1. Melt white chocolate
2. Whip butter until light and fluffy
3. Add melted chocolate to whipped butter
4. Beat in icing sugar and salt

To decorate (for 24 cupcake sized cakes)

Ingredients
• White chocolate butter frosting
• Desiccated coconut
• Chocolate eggs
• Fondant flowers

For instructions on how to make fondant flowers click here

Instructions

1. Fill piping bag with the white chocolate frosting and pipe in a swirl on top of cakes to resemble a nest
2. Place one chocolate egg in centre of icing
3. Place three fondant flowers on outside edge of piped nest
4. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut

Hope you all had a great Easter!