Thursday, July 8, 2010

Banana Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream



Holy moly. You want to taste goodness? Make these banana cupcakes. You want to taste even-better-ness? Slap on a little brown sugar buttercream. You want to make them superbly cute? Roll out some fondant flowers. 

There you have it. A recipe for success.

My cupcake baking went a little backwards today, as in I started with toppings first. I impulsebought a package of Wilton pre-made fondant at the store the other day, and have been itching to do something with it ever since. 

So I added some color and got inspired by these gorgeous flowers in the garden:


Replicated in fondant form:

Well aren't you just adorbs!

Anywho, after I made my cupcake toppings, I needed a cupcake! I was trying to find something semi-healthy that doesn't involve 2 sticks of butter and 4 cups of sugar (it is bathing suit season after all), and stumbled upon Bakerella's banana cupcake recipe. Overripe banana = less butter and less sugar needed! I used even less sugar than the recipe suggests, and soy milk instead of whole.

THEN, I needed a frosting! I was trying to think of yummy things that go with bananas (chocolate, peanut butter, i.e., everything?), and settled on the classiest combo I could come up with: brown sugar, a la bananas foster. I made up my own recipe (!) for the frosting, and it went a little something like this:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Add milk, vanilla, and another 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat for a minute or so, and add another 1/4 cup of sugar. Based on the consistency you want, add the last bit of powdered sugar, or more to your liking. Makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.




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