Spiced Banana Cupcakes with Caramel and Peanut Butter Frosting

I was watching something and decided to try a banana cupcake. In searching for a recipe I came across this one on Big Oven. The recipe is very good but I would add more spice next time, it just was not spicy enough for me. The filling inside the cupcake is my caramel sauce. The frosting which just makes you speechless it is that good. Usually I add where I found the recipe so I can add it here, but I did not. So if someone finds this recipe let me know so I can add the blog.

Spiced Banana Cupcakes with Caramel and Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup mashed bananas

Directions:

Preheat oven 375º
Add all ingredients into your mixer bowl and combine until just mixed.
Line muffin tins with muffin papers.
Spoon batter into cups and bake for about 20 minutes.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

5 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir slowly with a whisk or wooden spoon.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces softened butter
5 cups icing sugar
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Directions:

In mixer bowl beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add icing sugar 1 cup at a time, mix completely before adding next cup.
Scrap down bowl often.
Once all icing sugar is added beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add peanut butter and beat until well blended.

Assembly of cupcakes

Take cooled cupcake and take center out of cake with a spoon or apple corer.
Spoon caramel sauce into the hole.
Add your frosting however you wish with a piping bag or just use spatula or off set knife to spread icing on cupcakes.
Then drizzle with caramel sauce and chocolate sauce.