I probably have never gone so long without posting. But it seems an unfortunate habit for me to pick up some nasty flu virus when the flu season is already over and everybody else but me enjoys outdoors, warm weather and sunshine. I had a miserable week. And I haven’t baked anything since. These cupcakes I made just before. I was recently interviewed by The Globe & Mail regarding homemade cheeses and, after a photo session, had a whole batch of fresh ricotta left on hands. Always happy to experiment, I put the cheese into a good use.

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I like this carrot jam and make it often. This is not the marmalade, but its intense citrus flavor and the texture reminiscent to orange peel always fool everyone. If you are not very exciting about making the carrot jam, but want to give these muffins a try, any marmalade (homemade or store-bought) should do the trick just as well. To be honest, I was basically throwing whatever I had on hand (carrot jam it was) into my mixing bowl. Nevertheless, the muffins turned out perfect.

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I had almost started making these when I realized I was out of praline paste. I did want the frosting to be caramel, but I didn’t have neither intention nor time for making praline at that moment. Instead, I quickly fixed caramel crème anglaise and then turned it into the buttercream. I liked the outcome. The caramel flavor was there, and the texture was perfect for piping – soft, but also very stable.

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This is my basic and the most often used banana-bread formula. I do vary flavors, play with different flours, but I usually keep the proportions of the main ingredients the same. The bread is moist but not wet or sticky, just as good as any banana bread should be. I bake this batter as a loaf, cake layers or cupcakes, according to my mood or need.

Let me explain the cupcakes’ weird name. They are indeed banana cupcakes (banana number 1), filled with banana caramel (banana number 2, caramel number 1) and frosted with caramel cream cheese frosting (caramel number 2), and garnished with banana chips (banana number 3).

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I made these little cakes for my son’s school birthday party. We’d been arguing for a while if they should (or should not) have colored sprinkles on their tops. Tim kept saying that the sprinkles could significantly increase the cupcakes’ popularity. Well, I had my own counterarguments, and I won after all. They were very well received nevertheless. The cupcake batter is a famous Flo Braker’s devil’s food cake; the one that Alice Medrich tried to improve but couldn’t make it any better. It is delicious, moist and tender, very American, but without so commonly excessive overalkalized cocoa flavor.

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These are very Italian cupcakes. The list of the ingredients speaks for this well. There are fresh ricotta cheese and cornmeal, ground pine nuts and Italian prune-plums. The upside-down idea is not an exclusive American invention either. Italians have been flipping their cakes for a long time (crostata invertina (for example, with rhubarb and anise) is a wonderful and well known Italian treat).

The cupcakes are incredibly tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth. Ricotta and ground pine nuts contribute to their richness and added cornmeal adds a light crunch. The cupcakes are not too sweet with just a hint of honey, and pleasant tartness from fresh Italian plums. I blogged before about my forever love to everything upside-down. I love the moistness and gooey caramel topping, as well as the using of fresh fruit. In this recipe I substitute commonly used light brown sugar for more flavorful Muscovado. It does improve already nice taste. The cupcakes are terrific warm from the oven, served with a generous dollop of mascarpone cheese. But even when completely cooled they are very, very good.

Since this month Sugar High Friday theme is “Cupcakes” I’m submitting this recipe as my entry for this event. Make sure to check Fanny’s blog who is this month SHF host. She’s already posted her own cupcake recipes which are very original and absolutely delicious.

I’m also submitting it to La Cucina Italiana event.

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