Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream!

Oh my goodness!!!!  Seriously, has it been over 2 months since I last posted a cupcake recipe???  I had all these lofty plans about all of the wonderful things I was going to bake and tell you all about over the summer.  Where in the world did the time go?  And then school started, and well....I don't have to tell you guys how busy life gets.

Now, don't get me wrong....I baked like a crazy girl, all summer long.  (The "crazy" part being that I regularly turned my oven on while it was a million degrees outside here in Phoenix!)  I will probably eventually get around to posting some of those things, but I think right now I'm going to start fresh and  tell you about these tasty cupcakes I made last week.....

I think I might be in love with these cupcakes.  Which is kind of funny because, frankly, I don't love bananas. I only kind of like them.  But lately I have been finding myself craving them every now and then. Maybe it's because I sort of accidentally discovered how good they taste frozen, with a little bit of chocolate syrup drizzled over them.  Maybe I have a vitamin deficiency that can only be satisfied with bananas.  Maybe it's because my mom has been bringing us so many bananas that I had to start freezing them so they wouldn't go bad (hence how I found out the frozen chocolate thing).*   I don't know.  But, what I do know, is that I had a hankering to make a banana cupcake.  And I knew that peanut butter and chocolate had to somehow figure in. And the result was this......

Super moist banana cake with ridiculously peanut buttery buttercream frosting, topped with a chunk of Reese's cup, and drizzled with chocolate ganache.  The frosting is really rich and the cake is like banana bread in cupcake form, so the two balance each other out.  Like I said before, I think I'm in love with this cupcake, and I think you will be, too.  You need to make these immediately....you know you want to.


Banana Cupcakes
{makes about 12}

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large bananas, very ripe, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and vanilla with the mashed bananas.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and yolk and beat until well blended.  Add the flour and sour cream/banana/vanilla mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.  Beat each addition until just blended.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 -3/4 full.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes.  Allow to cool in pans for about 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

{Source:  Bon Appetit}


Peanut Butter Buttercream

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter together until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat well.  Add the milk and beat until creamy.  You can add more milk or powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.  Frost and decorate the cupcakes your favorite way!

* Just a little side note regarding bananas... I have found that if you peel a bunch of bananas, place them in freezer bags, and freeze, they work great for so many things...from banana smoothies to an afternoon snack drizzled with chocolate syrup!