Recipes Banana Custard-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cupcakes Be the first to rate & review! These stuffed, gluten-free cupcakes are completely over-the-top but well worth the effort. By Silvana Nardone Silvana Nardone F&W Digital Food Awards Winner Website Silvana's Kitchen Profile Silvana Nardone is one of America's great bakers. The fact that everything she makes is gluten-free is astonishing. The former Brooklyn bakery owner and editor-in-chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray learned that her son Isaiah was gluten- and dairy-intolerant in 2007. She cleared out her pantry and made it her mission to create new versions of his favorite foods, like corn bread and brownies—recipes she shares on her blog and in her book Cooking for Isaiah. She recently cracked the code on sandwich bread: "Normally, my son would come home from school, lift the loaf that was cooling and say, 'Heavy again.' Then, one day, I added every ingredient I'd ever tried. He lifted the loaf and said, 'Hey! It's light!'" Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 1, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Sarah Bolla Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Yield: 12 Ingredients Custard ¾ cup whole milk ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 banana (ripe, sliced) 1 egg (large at room temperature) 1 egg yolk (large at room temperature) ¼ cup sugar 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt Cupcakes 1 ½ cups 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature) ½ cup creamy peanut butter ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup light brown sugar (packed) 2 eggs (large at room temperature) 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract ½ cup whole milk (at room temperature) Frosting 10 ounces peanut butter chips (1 bag) ⅔ cup heavy cream Kosher salt Chopped salted roasted peanuts (for garnish) Directions Make the custard In a medium saucepan, combine the milk with the vanilla extract and banana and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour (or refrigerate overnight). Return the mixture to a simmer, then strain through a sieve into a heatproof measuring cup; discard any solids. In a large bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch and salt and whisk until thickened and smooth. While whisking constantly, gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk to temper the eggs, then gradually whisk in the remaining milk until combined. Pour the egg-and-milk mixture into the saucepan and cook the custard over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the cupcakes Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. At low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, then all the milk, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Fill the prepared muffin cups with the batter until almost full and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool completely. Make the frosting Put the peanut butter chips in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer, then pour it over the peanut butter chips and let stand for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and whisk the frosting until smooth; let cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable. Transfer the banana cream into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake and fill with some of the cream. Frost the cupcakes and garnish with peanuts. Rate it Print