Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

This is a combination of cake & icing that I have never tried before - peanut butter & banana. I don't know what made me try it now, but it was gooood! Wow! It was really really tasty. I've made many different banana cake recipes before but this one is from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book. It's a wonderful banana cake recipe but not my favorite. For me it's not sweet enough. I like my cupcakes a bit sweeter but with the big blob of sweet peanut butter icing on top, these are really rich! Probably too sweet for most people. I loved it!

Half of my cupcakes I put some walnuts on top and the other half I used some broken up Reeses Peanut Butter cups.

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcake book

Ingredients

• 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups), plus sliced bananas for garnish
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans (I did not add the pecans)
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (For me, a single recipe made exactly 24 cupcakes). In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the banana and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the pecans.

You can leave out a small amount of chopped pecans to sprinkle on the tops if desired.

Scrape sides of bowl. Divide the batter among muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick tests done (Watch closely, mine baked quicker than this). Remove from oven and cool.


Peanut Butter Icing

About 1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
About 5 or 6 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk, enough for desired consistency