BANANA CRANBERRY CUFFINS

I'm elated. These cuffins made TOP 9 on Foodbuzz to day 23rd February 2011. Happy Buzzday. Thank you Foodbuzz Foodies!

Beat me. Hit me. Flog me. But please don't fog me. 

Don't those foggers annoy the nonsense out of you? I appreciate them coming around but they really should give a warning before they do. I am forever leaping and flying from one end of the house to the other. Shutting our doors and windows the moment I smell the sudden pesticide-y hiss from the fogging truck. Just so we won't get ourselves fogged and drop like the mosquitoes. Or inhale pesticides for a pre-dinner high.

I digress. 

Let me try again.

Beat me. Hit me. Flog me. But wait! I made these cuffins. I hope that makes up for lost time and blogging lapse. I've been bad. But when that squishy parcel landed in my arms I knew I wouldn't be bad any longer.

Dear Sarah-Jane of Silicone Moulds.com has again inspired me. Again. She designs the most amazing moulds and silicone bakeware. She sent me a scrunchy soft big parcel full of things a baker girl could ever wish for. And got.  I. Am. SO. Excited.

First off I couldn't wait to use these Crown American Jumbo Silicone Muffin moulds. Now I can be as Starbucky as the next Starbucks muffin. They made the most beautiful jumbo muffins ever. Only... they aren't muffins. They are CUFFINS.

Because .....they are exquisitely soft, so moist and fluffy inside, like cake, but proud, crusty and high on top like muffins. And I invented it. I invented the cuffin for those of you  who have been aggravated by my blog. For the past month or so all you would have seen was the same old Apple Pie Pizza staring back at you if ever you dropped by. I know. And I apologize.

I've used dried cranberries and some beautiful festive sugar nibs that Sarah-Jane (bless her heart) had given me as well. I have to tell you that cranberries and sugar nibs made the prettiest of friends and are perfect for cuffins. They gave my cuffins a crowning glory. I. Feel. TOTALLY. GLORIFIED.

I was trying to come up with a healthy snack/breakfast/dessert/something to eat ....I mean really healthy without butter or too many eggs with more fruits and not too sweet. So I took the risk of wasting ingredients just in case it turned out a failure. I whipped bananas and sugar, added the one  egg, and then a stream of olive oil, flour and cranberries. I was smitten. I officially declare myself The Inventor of Cuffins. 

The jumbo polka dot cupcake cases were gifted to me by Sarah-Jane as well. Thank you so much Sarah-Jane. I'll be on a baking roll now. :)

The recipe...........

I think it worked well and I achieved the dome of a muffin yet the lightness of cake because beating bananas and sugar was very much like beating butter and sugar. The fat in the bananas made up for the fat in butter.While whipping the oil in a thin stream was very much like making mayonnaise. It gave more volume and made the cuffins light and airy as it emulsified. The egg and flour gave them structure and held them all together and the 2 tablespoons of baking powder and baking soda gave them the dome and golden crust. Of course the cranberries added more flavour and sweetness and the sugar bits made my cuffins look like princesses at a ball. Need I say more?

5 large bananas

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup olive oil or any vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dried cranberries, plumped up by soaking in orange juice or some weak tea if liked. And then drained 

sugar nibs if you have them (optional)

Pre-heat oven at 200 C. Lightly grease or oil the extra sides of the muffin mould. I found that it did not need flouring.

Beat banana and sugar in a mixer machine until light in pale colour (unless you use frozen bananas). Beat in the egg until light. Pour in olive oil in a thin stream and continue beating on medium until light and fluffy.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Take mixer  bowl off the stand and fold in the sifted flour etc and cranberries till flour mix disappears. Spoon into paper cups set in the jumbo muffin pan or regular pan. I filled them full right to the top. Very full in fact. Top with a few more cranberries and sugar nibs.

Bake at 200 C so that the batter rises in a burst from the high heat and after 10 minutes reduce to 180 C and bake for a further 10 minutes if regular size or 20 minutes if jumbo.

You will notice that the cuffins at the back are not jumbo simply because I did not fill the mould with enough batter as per Sarah-Jane's instructions. I had read her email to me only after I had baked the first six cuffins. But the last one was jumbo. 

Because I had empty moulds while I was baking the last cuffin I filled the empty muffin cups with water half way up. Like you would do with the usual muffin pan.

PS : I have lots more silicone moulds yet to use. So watch out for future posts!