Swap boring cupcakes for these gorgeous muffins.

Swap boring cupcakes for these gorgeous muffins.

Treat yourself and the kids to a gorgeous new muffin recipe this Easter with Lily Vanilli’s Banana and Pecan Muffin Cakes.

Baker to the stars, Lily’s recipe for these sweet, soft and moist muffins will make a welcome change to your usual cupcake recipe; the perfect treat for your sweet tooth this Easter.

Lily Vanilli’s Banana Pecan Muffin Cakes

Makes 15 portions

Ingredients

  • 270g plain flour
  • ½ tsp. grated fresh nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon powder
  • ⅔ tsp. baking powder
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 200g Lurpak® Baking
  • 220g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 70g pecans, roughly chopped, plus extra to top
  • 330ml pureed very overripe banana (pulped by hand or use a blender to puree)


To top

  • 15 whole pecans
  • Seasonal edible flowers (optional, to decorate)
  • Banana chips (optional, to decorate)
  • Desiccated coconut (optional, to decorate)


Cream cheese frosting

  • 125g Unsalted Lurpak® Baking Butter
  • 200g firm full-fat cream cheese, drained of any liquid
  • 250g icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Equipment

Use cupcake pan or cake tins for individual mini cakes, greased with Lurpak® Baking

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease tins generously with Lurpak® Baking Butter

Sift together the flours, spices, baking powder and salt

Beat the Lurpak® Baking Butter and sugar together in a mixer until light and fluffy, starting on a low speed, gradually increasing to high. Add the eggs and continue to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes

Slowly add the dry ingredients until it forms a thick, smooth batter, fold in the pecans, banana pulp, and divide mixture between tins to fill

Scatter the top of each cake with pecans, and bake on the middle shelf for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the cake’s centre. Leave in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool

Pipe a dollop of the frosting on top of the cake (optional), then top the cooled cake with some edible flowers, coconut pecans or banana chips

For the Frosting

Beat the Lurpak® Baking Butter for 4-5 minutes, then add the cream cheese and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes, until smooth and evenly incorporated. You can add a further 50-100g of icing sugar for a firmer frosting if desired

Lily Vanilli

Chef tip: the added rapeseed oil in Lurpak Baking means this cake will stay moister for longer. This is proven. Oil has more lasting moistening effect than just butter alone.

Lily's favourite ingredient, Lurpak Cook's Range Baking Butter is available in all major retailers for an RRP of £3.25.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk