How about some banana cupcakes?

banana cupcakes

(makes 24)

from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" 

Cupcakes
-2 3/4 cups unbleached flour
-1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened
-1/4 c. vegetable shortening
-1 3/4 c. sugar
-2 tsp. vanilla
-2 large eggs
-1/2 c. buttermilk
-4 mashed bananas (1 1/2 c.)

Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

Using your mixer, beat the butter and shortening on medium for 3 minutes.
Add in the sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium until light and fluffy (another 3 minutes)
Beat in the eggs.

Alternating between the flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beat it into the batter.
Scrape down the bowl, and beat another 10-15 seconds.
Fill the muffin/cupcake liners 3/4's full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pans half way through. They are down when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

The original recipe calls for a vanilla pastry cream - which is good - but I still ended up making my cream cheese frosting for them.


Frosting of choice: cream cheese frosting
The frosting: I used one stick of cream cheese (8 oz.) one stick of butter (unsalted or salted will be fine) and 3 teaspoons of lemon juice, 5 cups of powdered sugar. the powdered sugar I sometimes add a bit more. Just depends on the consistency I'm aiming for.

*A very dear friend had a birthday. I have had this recipe bookmarked for about a year, but not enough reason to give it a go. However, a friend's birthday is always worth trying something new, especially when I know she likes banana cake and banana bread.