Recipe: Rye banana cupcakes with cardamom cream cheese frosting

Going to the supermarket is one of my favourite past times when I’m in a foreign country. It’s a chance to get a little insight into the locals’ eating habits. That was certainly the case when I moved to Sweden. Even after several years in the country I’m still discovering new products. You could definitely say that about the flour aisle – it’ stocked with so many different flours, some of which I have no clue what to do with (beetroot flour?). I love all the hardy flours available, including rye flour with its deep dark flavours. Rye flour is ideal for blending with lighter flours to give cakes a dense nutty flavour. The batter recipe below can also be baked in a loaf tin to make a great banana bread. All it requires is a quick blitz in the blender then add the dry ingredients. It really is a piece of cake (excuse the pun) to make.

Rye banana cupcakes with cardamom cream cheese frosting

Makes 18 cupcakes
Preparation time 30 minutes
Baking time 15-20 minutes

3 extra ripe bananas (roughly 300g peeled)
4 eggs
100ml milk
150ml sunflower oil
50g plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp salt
150g white spelt flour
100g rye flour
15g baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnammon

Icing
150g cream cheese
250ml whipping cream
pinch of salt
pinch of ground cardamom
1 tbsp maple syrup

cardamom pods, crushed and opened (optional)

12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases

Preheat the oven to 180c

Blend the bananas with the eggs, milk, sunflower oil, yoghurt and salt until you have a smooth liquid. Mix the flours, cinnamon and baking powder together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the blended banana. Mix together until all the ingredients are combined. Avoid over mixing. Fill the muffin cases 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Whip the cream cheese with the whipping cream, ground cardamom and pinch of salt until fluffy and firm. Fold in the maple syrup. Pour into a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle. When the cakes are cool, pipe the icing on top and sprinkle with a few of the black cardamom seeds.

Get ahead
The un-iced cakes will keep for several days or can be frozen in an airtight container. If the cakes are iced, keep refrigerated and if possible these are best eaten the same day.

Top tip
If you want to make the cakes dairy free, replace the yoghurt and milk with a dairy free/vegan alternative.

Note: I haven’t tried this recipe using a flax egg/vegan egg replacement. If you do try it, let me know how it goes.

Photos: Lara Messer Styling: Frankie Unsworth

Dress and cardigan from Emily and Fin.