Page 50 - Food Network (January 2020)

fun
cooking
This Cupcake is

Catch the
new season
How do you take the top prize of Kids Baking

on Kids Baking Championship? Championship,
starting January 6
With a winning flavor combo: at 9 p.m. ET.
peanut butter and banana.

hirteen-year-old Trevin Alford
learned how to bake by watching
chefs on TV, so when he competed

on Kids Baking Championship last year,
he felt right at home. Although he had
some ups and downs on the show, he wowed
judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman
with a peanut butter poke cake he made in
episode five. “It was a tricky challenge, but
peanut butter and banana are an unbeatable

combination,” says the Indiana native, who
flavored his cake with peanut butter chips,
then filled it with banana pudding. These easy
cupcakes are a fun twist on the same flavor
combo. Try them at home!

TREVIN’S PEANUT BUTTER

CUPCAKES WITH BANANA PUDDING
ACTIVE: 1 hr I TOTAL: 2½ hr I MAKES: 24

FOR THE PUDDING 1. Make the pudding: Whisk the sugar, 4. Beat the butter and sugar in a separate
½ cup sugar cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. large bowl with a mixer on medium-high
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch Whisk in the milk until combined. Place speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce
¼ teaspoon salt the pan over medium-high heat and bring the speed to medium and beat in the eggs,
2½ cups whole milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the one at a time, then beat in the vanilla.
¾ cup mashed bananas (from 2 bananas) mashed bananas and reduce the heat to Reduce the speed to low and beat in half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter medium. Cook, stirring, until thickened, the flour mixture, then the buttermilk,
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract about 2 minutes. then the remaining flour mixture until
Yellow food coloring (optional) 2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir combined. Beat in the peanut butter chips.
in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pudding 5. Divide the batter among the prepared
FOR THE CUPCAKES through a medium-mesh sieve into a muffin cups, filling them about three-
3 cups all-purpose flour medium bowl, pressing the pudding through quarters of the way. Bake until lightly
1 teaspoon baking powder with a rubber spatula. Whisk in a few drops browned and a toothpick inserted into the
1 teaspoon salt of the yellow food coloring, if desired (the centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
½ teaspoon baking soda pudding may be grayish without it). Place Let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer CUPCAKE PHOTO: RALPH SMITH; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON.
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature plastic wrap directly on the surface of the the cupcakes to racks to cool completely.
2 cups sugar pudding to prevent a skin from forming. 6. Whisk the pudding vigorously to loosen.
4 large eggs, at room temperature Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a ¼-inch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 3. Meanwhile, make the cupcakes: Preheat round tip. Insert the tip into the center of
1 cup buttermilk the oven to 350˚. Line two 12-cup muffin pans each cupcake and fill with pudding, then
1½ cups peanut butter chips with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking pipe more of the pudding on top. Top with
Banana chips, for topping powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. banana chips.

50 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ● JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020