Lily Vanilli’s Bacon And Fairtrade Banana Cupcakes

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 4 slices unsmoked organic back bacon
• 150 g ripe fairtrade bananas (approx 2 small)
• 60 g fairtrade honey
• 100 g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 40 g tate & lyle fairtrade caster sugar
• 140 g organic plain flour (sifted)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 large free-range organic eggs (at room temperature)
• handful fairtrade brazil nut (toasted & chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fairtrade nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fairtrade ground cinnamon
• 12 paper, cupcake cases
• 55 g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
• 325 g tate & lyle fairtrade icing sugar
• 114 ml organic double cream
• 2 tablespoons fairtrade honey

Recipe

• 1 lay rashers of bacon on a foil lined sheet and place in a cold oven with the temperature set to 200c for approx 20 mins or until crispy. allow to cool.
• 2 turn heat down to 180c.
• 3 mash bananas with honey in a small bowl and set aside.
• 4 sift together all the dry ingredients into a large bowl - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
• 5 cut butter into small chunks and add to the dry ingredients, blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until evenly incorporated.
• 6 add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• 7 mix in the banana/honey mixture, spices and brazil nuts to taste.
• 8 spoon into cupcakes cases, filling almost to the top .
• 9 bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• 10 remove and leave to cool in the pans for approx 3 mins - then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
• 11 frosting.
• 12 beat the butter until smooth, then add half of the sugar, the double cream.
• 13 and the honey.
• 14 continue beating, slowly adding the rest of the sugar to achieve a smooth, even texture.
• 15 ice each cooled cupcake with a thick swirl of frosting and top with strips of cooled bacon and chopped brazil nuts.