Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

   So I found myself with some extra time on my hands this weekend, as I said goodbye to one job and hello to another...well I say hello in two weeks, thus the free time :) Naturally, the first thing I want to do is eat...I mean I am human! I also found myself with a few VERY ripe bananas and as soon as I put two and two together, well, it was over. I decided to make banana cupcakes, they were very easy and very quick. Now I can never just stop there mind you, I always need to find some fun and cool frosting to top it with and I think we can all agree that cinnamon and bananas go well together and I knew I had a frosting recipe that called for this yummy ingredient so alas....I ended up with a light, creamy, and (almost) healthy cupcake I could enjoy and not feel guilty about!

My Banana Cupcake recipe is from a lady who's failed to let me down yet, and her stuff is amazing! I highly recommend using her recipes, as I do a lot, with a little tweaking here and there. It's not that it needs it, but just that I don't want her thinking I'm stealing from her! If you haven't heard of Bakers Royale well now you have! Trust me, it is life changing! And for those of you who want to branch out, she not only does cupcakes, but other desserts, as well as savory foods. You can find her here at www.bakersroyale.com  I will provide the recipe below.

Banana Cupcakes  (adapted from Bakers Royale)
 makes 24

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with liners. Set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl to blend; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugars and eggs in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in buttermilk. Gradually beat in oil. Beat in bananas. Beat in cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended.

Fill cupcake wells 1/2 way up and bake for about 18 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

 

I chose not to add the filling or the Marshmallow Frosting, but I did adapt Martha Stewart's recipe for the Honey Cinnamon Frosting. I did feel the honey added a little too much sweetness, as I had to add a little extra (my recipe below has that included already) just to taste it. I would recommend adding some cream cheese to pull that back a little.  I will provide the recipe below. For those of you taking the time to read this I thank you, as this is my first official post and my first day of blogging! I'm very excited and eager to learn and can't wait to get good at this stuff! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did and Have A Sweet Day!

Honey Cinnamon Frosting (adapted from Martha Stewart)

3 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 T honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on a medium-low speed the butter, honey, and cinnamon until blended. Add sugar one cup at a time until incorporated. If you feel it is too sugary try adding 1/2 block of cream cheese to the mixture. This should help it :)