Banana Cupcakes

Although you wouldn’t know it based on the recent chronicles of my baking ventures, I am a cupcake person. Indeed I am. Leave Amanda to her healthy bran muffins; I want a cupcake filled– and frosted!– with sugary goodness. 

So when I realized this morning that my remaining two bananas were wonderfully brown, I knew what I wanted to bake: banana cupcakes. Amanda and I made these, oh, probably two or three years ago from Martha Stewart’s recipe, so I decided to use it again (although, I admit, I don’t particularly remember how our earlier attempt turned out). Martha calls for 1 and 1/2 cups of mashed bananas, which she translates to about 4 bananas. As I only had two, I simply halved the recipe. (Incidentally, I ended up with seven cupcakes instead of six, as one would expect. Not that I mind.)

A random note: when I mixed the wet ingredients, I simply melted the butter, beat the egg and vanilla into it (with a fork), and mashed the bananas into the mixture. I suppose because of the warmth from the butter, when I beat in the egg and vanilla it became this custardy-texture and smelled indescribably delicious! I highly recommend you do it my way.

I also decided to give the suggested honey-cinnamon frosting a try. I briefly considered making a chocolate frosting instead (who doesn’t love the banana-chocolate combination?) but Martha made hers look so adorable, I couldn’t help but do this one by the book. Besides, I love cinnamon. I almost always increase the amount of cinnamon called for, and often add it to things where it isn’t called for at all. 

These cupcakes are so wonderfully moist! I didn’t actually measure my mashed bananas– I just mashed them straight into my butter, egg, vanilla mixtures– so it’s possible that I ended up with more than 3/4 cup banana, but who would complain about that? They are sweet, but not cloying… and I almost don’t feel guilty about eating one because bananas are good for you… and I am excellent at rationalizing. Haha.

I guess I can’t rationalize that frosting, though. (Cinnamon has excellent health benefits, right?) But it is lovely. And oh so tasty. (I have quite a bit of leftover frosting, although I did halve that recipe, too. I hope Rebecca finds it soon, or I will definitely be eating this with a spoon later. Argh.) Very sweet– I mean, it’s butter and powdered sugar– but this is a cupcake here people. Embrace the sweet cupcake goodness!

…In moderation, of course.  
 

Recipe for Banana Cupcakes and Honey-Cinnamon Frosting at marthastewart.com