Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with about 16-17 cupcake liners (this recipe yields 16-17 cupcakes - I got 16 cupcakes). Set aside.

2. 2

   Cupcakes: In a medium-sized bowl, stir flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to combine. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, combine egg, sugar, oil, bananas, and vanilla and stir to combine. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter and mix on low speed just until combined. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Spoon batter into the liners and fill about 2/3 – 3/4 full that your cupcakes don't sink or spill over the sides. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick centered in the middle comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.

3. 3

   Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, mix butter until soft and creamy. Add cream cheese and stir until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Sift in powdered sugar and add vanilla and mix until combined and creamy. If the frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar little by little (up to ½ cup). If it is too firm, add 1-2 tbsp of heavy cream to lighten it up. When adding more powdered sugar, you may want to add a pinch of salt to cut down the sweetness.

4. 4

   Pipe or spread frosting on top of cooled cupcakes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.