chocolate banana cupcakes

Two of my favorite flavors in dessert, brought together in a fabulous cupcake! I mean, can you ever go wrong when chocolate and banana are involved?! Plus, the icing is so smooth and chocolatey, I could probably just eat it with a spoon! You're going to want to make these ASAP. (And careful, they seem to disappear quickly!)

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes (recipe from Bakerella)

ingredients:

Cream Cheese Mixture

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 small banana, pureed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Mixture

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large bananas, pureed

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the cream cheese mixture:

• Beat cream cheese and sugar until nice and fluffy.
• Add banana, egg and vanilla and mix together until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

For the chocolate mixture:

• Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, soda and salt using a wire whisk.
• Add bananas, oil and vanilla and mix together on low until combined.
• Use a large scoop to fill cupcake liners with batter.
• Repeat topping the cupcake batter with the cream cheese mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until done.

Chocolate Sour Cream Icing (recipe from Real Simple)

ingredients:

12 

ounces 

semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 

cups 

(3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 

cups 

confectioners’ sugar

3/4 

cup 

sour cream

pinch kosher salt

directions: 

1. Heat the chocolate in a double boiler or medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the chocolate, sour cream, and salt and beat to combine.
3. Top the cupcakes with the frosting once they are cooled.

Let me know if you try them out! 

-Kylie

strawberry banana cupcakes

It's my first day of my accelerated nursing program! AHH! Not going to lie, I'm definitely nervous about it all. I mean, it's 4 years of normal nursing curriculum packed into one year! (Plus, I have classes for pretty much 8 hours straight on Monday. Blegh.) But it was really reassuring to meet a bunch of people at the orientation, and find that they're all just as freaked out as I am! (And ready to spend all our money at Starbucks this year ;)) Plus, it will be nice to finally be working towards what I want to do in my life! Yay!
Now onto these cupcakes. YUM. Let me tell you from experience, it's pretty hard to go wrong when mashed banana is in the recipe. It seriously made the cupcakes so fluffy and moist, and they actually tasted like banana bread! Add the sweet strawberry buttercream, and it was just perfection! (Next I want to try the banana cupcake with a nutella frosting!!)

Strawberry Banana Cupcakes (recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) salted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• Frosting:
• 3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) salted butter, softened
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 8 oz block), softened
• 1/3 cup frozen sweetened strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed (note: these do make the frosting very sweet, use fresh strawberries instead to knock the sweetness down!)
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (note: I probably used about 1/4 cup more)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with liners and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine mashed bananas and lemon juice and set aside. In another bowl, mix the flour and baking soda and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with a mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time until combined, scraping the bowl after each. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat the flour mixture and buttermilk in alternately, starting and ending with flour and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in mashed bananas.
4. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the center of cupcakes springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool completely. on a wire rack.
5. Prepare frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add pureed strawberry mixture, beating on low until smooth. Add powdered sugar and continue beating on low until JUST mixed. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for one minute.

Are you ready to get baking?

-Kylie