Banana Cakes with Maple Frosting

Today I was given the task to make a simple banana bread to take to my sister's house; and in my natural fashion, I completely threw that idea out the window and started making little cakes in these adorable floral cases I had bought from Coles YEARS ago, but could never find anything to put in them (they were too big for cupcakes and too small for muffins). After changing the shape of the requested banana bread, I decided my 7 year old nephew and 2 nieces under 6 would not be impressed with a plain cake, so I whipped up my usual frosting and started to incorporate the ingredients from the banana cakes - and my maple frosting was born.

This frosting is what every cake deserves. A hint of cinnamon, a generous serving of maple syrup (I used maple-flavoured syrup, but don't tell Mum), and a really good whipping produces the fluffiest, smoothest frosting I've ever made. I don't actually know the difference between frosting and icing, but frosting sounds so much more decadent and that's exactly what this cake topping is.

This recipe uses my classic banana bread recipe, with adjusted baking times. If you haven't already made this wonderful loaf, you can find the recipe here: Blueberry Banana Bread.

I made half the cakes with blueberries and half without. To add the blueberries, simply add one spoonful of batter to the case, then add 3 or 4 blueberries and add another spoonful on top. Then add 3 more blueberries and push them down slightly so they don't burst out in the oven.

To make the banana cakes, follow the banana bread recipe above with the following adjustments:

• Pre heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan forced)

• Spoon mixture into muffin cases with 2 cm left at the top to give room for rising

• Bake for 25 minutes or until the top springs up after lightly touching

• Allow to cool for half an hour before icing

Maple Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Icing Sugar

• 100g Butter, Softened

• 4 Tbs Milk

• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract

• Blueberries, for decorating

• Crushed Walnuts, for decorating

Let's Make this Maple Frosting:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine icing sugar and butter and whip well. Add milk slowly - you may not need all the milk if the frosting is already at the desired consistency. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk thoroughly. The frosting will lighten in colour and be thick and airy.

2. Pipe frosting onto cooled cakes and decorate with blueberries or walnuts.