Banana Cupcakes & Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

So cupcakes have been all the rage the past couple of years. And to be honest, I love that this classic dessert is getting the much-deserved attention. However, many people in the food world think that this is just a trend, and that cupcakes are so yesterday. Really?!

With cupcakeries popping up all over the nation, it's hard for me to believe that this is just a trend that will soon wear out. Cupcakes have been around for years, and I don't believe that a little spike in popularity will run this idea into the ground. 

The same people that are calling cupcakes a fad, are also saying that macarons will soon be taking over. Now, I have various opinions on this matter. I love macarons...I really do. The chewy cookie filled with wonderful frosting, cream, fruit preserve - you name it - is an absolute delight. And while pastry shops in hip, urban neighborhoods are beginning to see a rise in demand for these little gems, the ordinary home-baker has yet to tackle macarons for everyday enjoyment (you don't see boxed mixes for macarons in the grocery store aisles, now do you?). They seem scary, intimidating and hard to master...so I've heard. I haven't tried for said reasons! But really, can you honestly see macarons replacing cupcakes at little Johnny's 4th birthday party? I guess I just don't understand why people seem to think one has to replace the other. Why can't we have both?

Ok, enough of my rant about how cupcakes will always have a place in society.

I was craving cupcakes last week because...well, just because. I love the combination of banana and cinnamon, so I knew I'd enjoy these. Go ahead and try them out - they're simple, flavorful and quite indulgent! Perfection.

Banana Cupcakes

Source: Cooking Light, September 1999

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt - I used Greek yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and banana; set aside. Beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana mixture to sugar mixture, beating well. 

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Top with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below).

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature - I used light

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon, mixing well until it’s all incorporated.  Use immediately or refrigerate.  The frosting will harden in the fridge, so plan on bring it back to room temperature if you must refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes.

Brown Sugar Cupakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 

 

I have a problem. I'm addicted to sweets. Ok, wait - that's not really a problem. I mean, I don't mind my sugar cravings. I do, however, mind them when I get a craving and can't fix it...that's the worst! I help prevent this problem by baking treats on the weekends to get me through the week. I've been really into cookies lately but decided to change it up this weekend. Cupcakes have always held a special place in my heart. Growing up, I loved the Funfetti boxed mix - so yummy! I'd like to say that my tastes have matured a bit, now that I'm older. CRUMBS in New York City is absolutely delicious, as well as Red Velvet Cupcakery down in Washington D.C. I must admit...I've actually only had red velvet cupcakes at both! They're just divine.

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make cupcakes, and there was a recipe for brown sugar cupcakes that I've had bookmarked for a while. These are wonderful - and the vanilla buttercream frosting was absolutely perfect on top. I don't have any icing gadgets, so I just put the buttercream in a ziploc bag, and frosted the cupcakes with that - had no problems at all. 

Brown Sugar Cupakes - from Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar - I actually used dark
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Measure out milk and vanilla together - I used a liquid measuring cup.

Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

Place baking cups into muffin pan. Fill with batter - 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched. Yield: 12 cupcakes.

Billy's Vanilla Buttercream - via Martha Stewart, courtesy of Billy's Bakery 

*I cut this recipe in half - and still had more than enough to frost 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

6-9 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.