Banana Foster Cupcakes

There is nothing I like more than banana cupcakes cooling on the counter.

Drizzled with our secret glaze

R and I walked into the kitchen one morning and saw a sad bunch of overripe bananas just begging to be made into something. Although chonana banana bread would be a no-brainer, we wanted to expand our 'mental' recipe index. I suddenly thought back to the amazing banana foster buttermilk waffle we shared at Founding Farmers in DC. Why not make a cupcake version?

The messy setup

We were pleasantly surprised by how good this recipe turned out!

Over medium heat, add packed brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. R and I are big fans of healthier substitutes, however, so instead of butter we used applesauce. Add the sliced bananas and cook until tender. The recipe also asked for dark rum and vanilla extract, but we did not have rum since we decided to bake on a whim and so we substituted it with a mix of pineapple juice and almond extract. Set aside.

Dry ingredients

Cream together the butter and granulated sugar. Again, we used applesauce instead of butter.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add eggs, sour cream (we used yogurt as a substitute), and vanilla extract to the banana mixture.

Combine the flour, butter, and banana mixtures in one large bowl and stir thoroughly, but be careful not to over mix.

Finally, the best part -- spoon the batter into muffin trays and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Don't forget to bask in the divine smell of bananas baking. 

Instead of going with the typical caramel frosting (which is included below), we decided to improvise and create our own glaze since we preferred it over a tower of frosting. We started with a cream cheese base but threw in whatever we felt like including. The outcome was delicious!!

Cool the cupcakes...

Then frost/glaze with cute frosting containers. You can easily use a large ziploc bag and snip one of the corners to create a piping bag, too.

Devour.

Bananas Foster Cupcakes

(16 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS

Banana Mixture

*3/4 cup unsalted butter

*1/2 cup brown sugar packed

*1/2 tsp cinnamon

*2 firm but ripe bananas, sliced

*2 tbsp dark rum (we added 4 tbsp for more flavor)

*1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes

*2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

*1 tsp baking soda

*1/4 tsp salt

*3/4 cup butter, softened

*1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

*3 eggs

*1 tsp vanilla extract

*1/2 tsp dark rum

*3/4 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

For the Bananas:

1. In a saute pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

2. Cook until butter melts and sugar is dissolved (4 to 5 minutes).

3. Add the banana slices and cook until tender, turning once for 1 to 2 minutes per side.

4. Stir together rum and vanilla.
5. Turn off the burner and add the rum mixture to the pan.
6. Using a long match, light the alcohol by placing the flame just in the outer edge of the pan.
7. Stand as far back as possible. The flame should extingish in a few seconds.
8. Gently shake the pan from side to side to coat the bananas with the sauce.
9. Spoon the bananas into a bowl and set aside.

For the Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add eggs, vanilla, rum and banana mixture. Mix well.
5. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream; blend thoroughly but do not overmix.
6. Pour into prepared cupcake pans.
7. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Cool for 1- minutes in pan on rack. Remove and cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: Recipe by Joelen's Culinary Adventures
*2-3 tablespoons homemade or store bought caramel sauce
*4-6 cups confectioners or powdered sugar (we used 3 1/2 cups because we hate overly sweet frosting)

*1/4 cup unsalted butter

*4 oz. cream cheese, softened

*1-2 tablespoons half & half

*Optional: We added 1-2 tsp of cinnamon

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until fluffy; add the caramel sauce and beat until fully incorporated.

2. Slowly add confectioners or powdered sugar into the bowl, 1/2 cup at a time and beating after each addition. Continue adding the sugar until you have a thick frosting of your preferred consistency. 

3. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or more of half & half to thin out.