Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes

Don't confuse these Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes with muffins because they are NOT muffins!  These are moist, cakey cupcakes, fragrant and sweet with banana.  You can eat them plain but they pair perfectly with Cream Cheese Frosting.  A Chocolate Buttercream Frosting will work as well.  They certainly dress up well for company. 

The original recipe came from Canadian Living. They were an immediate success the first time I made them.  Everyone enjoyed them and I had several requests to make more.  This is another one of those recipes I found while babysitting Benjamin when his mother went back to university.  Sometimes you can tell whether a recipe will be successful just by reading it and thus it was for Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes.  

The cupcakes use buttermilk, as the title says, but soured milk works just as well.  I seldom have buttermilk on hand so I use vinegar or lemon juice to sour the milk.  You will also need two ripe bananas.  They don't have to be totally black on the outside but they should be heavily spotted.  Mash the bananas very well.  I sometimes use a blender.  The smoother the banana the finer the cake crumb will be. 

Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
¾ cup mashed, very ripe banana, about 2 bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk or soured milk (1½  teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice and enough milk to make half a cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pans with paper liners or grease. You will have 12-15 muffins from a regular-sized pan.

In large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until creamy. Beat in the mashed banana and vanilla.  You may notice the mixture separates but it will come together once the flour has been added.

In small bowl, mix or sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.   On low speed mix flour into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Spoon into paper-lined or greased muffin cups.  You will get approximately 12 - 15 regular cupcakes. 

Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes and remove from pan and let cool on cake rack.

Makes 12-15 regular sized cupcakes.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and beat again.  Don't forget the vanilla.  Beat in the mashed banana.

Add the flour alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed banana mixture.  Mix gently until thoroughly blended.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans.  I used small cups (not mini) and got 29 cupcakes.  If you use regular sized pans you will get 12-15 large cupcakes. 

When the cupcakes have cooled on a rack, ice with your favourite frosting or icing.  I piped Cream Cheese Frosting on these little gems.

I topped the Cream Cheese Frosting with a spoonful of chocolate ganache and a mini chocolate kiss. (The mini kisses come in a bag like chocolate chips.)

I just couldn't resist a bite!