RECIPE: Banana muffins with caramel centres

I was originally going to whip up a banana caramel fridge tart last night, but the bananas I purchased last weekend for this very purpose were, uh, past their ‘best before’ date! Damn. Loathe to throw them away in the bin, I resigned myself to an exciting (read: ho-hum) morning baking banana bread. Unless... Unless... I made banana muffins instead, with secret centres of caramel. Idea!

It's always more funny when you use a teddy as a prop.

INGREDIENTS
125g butter or margarine
200g sugar
2 eggs
5ml vanilla essence
250ml mashed banana (about 5 small bananas)
250g flour
Pinch of salt
10ml baking powder
2ml bicarbonate of soda
125ml milk

For secret centre: Tin of caramel (you’ll only use a ¼)

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin pan with paper cupcake holders.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla essence.
3. Mix mashed bananas into the mixture.
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the bicarb of soda with a teaspoon of the milk, and add to egg-and-butter mixture.
5. Gradually mix the combined ingredients together, adding the remaining milk bit by bit.
6. To fill the paper cups: add a full tablespoon of the muffin mixture to each cup, filling them ¾ of the way. Add a dollop of caramel on top of the mixture – about a third of a teaspoonful. Then cover with a small teaspoonful of muffin mixture.
7. Sneak a spoon of caramel for yourself.
8. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Makes 24 muffins.