Banana Cupcakes with Caramel and Chocolate Cream

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE BATTER

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 185 °C top and bottom heat and line 12 – 14 muffin molds with paper cups.
• 2
  Blend the bananas until smooth. Add the oil and both sugars and blend briefly again. Stir in the eggs, buttermilk, and finally the flour pre-mixed with baking soda and cocoa.
• 3
  Divide the batter into the molds (about 1 cm below the edge) and bake for 25 – 30 minutes (test with a skewer, it should come out with moist crumbs, not sticky batter). The goal is not to dry out the cupcakes completely.
• 4
  Then let them cool.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CARAMEL

• 1
  Put the sugar in a high saucepan and add a little water (just enough to moisten the sugar, not to make it float). Heat on medium until it caramelizes (do not stir).
• 2
  Meanwhile, heat the cream in a bowl in the microwave.
• 3
  Once the sugar is caramelized (amber color), carefully stir in the warm cream gradually. Be careful, the mixture will tend to rise in the pot. Stir with a whisk and let it heat for a while to combine.
• 4
  Once the mixture is combined, stir in the butter and salt and let it cool in the fridge.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CREAM

• 1
  Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a water bath (the bowl should not touch the water surface) and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• 2
  Whip the softened butter at medium speed until creamy and smooth (it will lighten beautifully). It takes about 5 minutes with a hand mixer.
• 3
  Gently stir in the cocoa and pour in the condensed milk. Whip again until everything is combined (about 1 minute).
• 4
  Fold in the melted chocolate with a spatula, which should be the same temperature as the butter base of the cream. If it's warmer, the butter will melt. If the butter is cold, the chocolate will start to harden upon contact and won't combine with the mixture.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSEMBLY

• 1
  Make a deeper hole in the center of the cooled cupcakes (e.g., cut out with a decorating tip). Fill the holes with cooled caramel up to the edge. Apply the cream with a serrated piping tip (circle from the center).
• 2
  Before consumption, it's ideal to take the cupcakes out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour – the cream is buttery, so it hardens in the fridge, and to regain its creamy texture, it needs to soften. Only then will its flavor develop, and you won't feel like you're biting into butter. This applies to all butter creams.