By The book’s publication launches in three months. The publicity push is starting to ramp — the publicity team has been booking podcast appearances, scheduling magazine excerpts, and confirming the bookstore-launch-tour details. The agent has been advising me on which interview requests to take and which to politely decline. The pace is starting to feel pre-publication-busy in a way it hadn’t been during the long manuscript-and-proofs phase.
Sunday I made banana cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese frosting because the apartment had over-ripe bananas (three of them, going dark, perfect for banana baking) and Brayden has been on a peanut-butter-and-banana streak for two weeks. He’s requesting peanut-butter-and-banana toast every morning.
The technique: in a large bowl, mash three over-ripe bananas with a fork. Add a half-cup of melted butter, three-quarters cup of light brown sugar packed, two large eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla, a half-cup of buttermilk. Whisk smooth.
The dry ingredients: one and three-quarters cups of all-purpose flour, a teaspoon of baking soda, a half-teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a half-teaspoon of salt. Whisk into the wet until just combined.
Scoop into a paper-lined muffin tin, mounded slightly above the rim. Bake at three-fifty for twenty minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
The peanut butter cream cheese frosting: in a stand mixer, beat eight ounces of softened cream cheese with a half-cup of softened butter, a cup of creamy peanut butter, three cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of salt for four minutes until fluffy.
Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Top with a small slice of banana and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts.
Twelve cupcakes. Brayden had one without the peanuts (he’s not yet been cleared for whole peanuts though peanut butter is fine). Dustin had two. The cupcakes are the right kid-friendly summer-Sunday-afternoon dessert.
Over-ripe bananas, buttermilk, three-fifty for twenty. PB-cream cheese frosting. Sliced banana on top. Here’s the build.
Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- For the Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add banana and sour cream. Mix in the mashed bananas and sour cream until combined. The batter may look slightly curdled — that’s okay.
- Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese and peanut butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, then beat on medium-high until light and spreadable. Add more cream as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Frost and serve. Pipe or spread frosting generously onto each cooled cupcake. Serve at the table, at the birthday party, or any night that deserves to feel like a celebration.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 245 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 160mg