Banana Nut Cupcakes

Banana nut bread is probably my favorite sweet treat of all time. I very fondly remember my Nini baking it in those old tin coffee cans so that when it came out of the oven it had perfect slicing rings. For years I've been trying to perfect a recipe and today I think it finally happened. These cupcakes are much lighter than a traditional bread and the flavor just can't be beat. My husband would have been content to just eat the batter.

Now because these are on the sweet side I didn't want to use a traditional buttercream frosting. I took about a cup and a half of buttercream I'd made earlier in the day and added an 8 oz. block of cream cheese. It gave the perfect balance to the cupcake.

Banana Nut Cupcakes
Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 5 medium)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with the racks in the center position. Put liners in two cupcake pans and evenly distribute the pecans among the slots (about 1 Tbsp in each).

In a large bowl mix together your flours, baking powder and salt and set to the side. In a stand mixer, cream your butter and sugar for about three minutes on medium-high speed. Turn the speed to low and add in your eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated, and then add in your vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in half of the dry ingredients on low speed until moist, and then mix in your milk. Slowly mix in the remainder of your dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas.

Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake liners. (I used a medium ice cream scoop and it distributes the perfect amount) *Important! Do not overfill the liners - these cupcakes are very fluffy and will go over the edge. Bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for five minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

You may have extra batter (I did). If you have small loaf pans on hand they are great for this; you just need to add about five minutes to the bake time.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 1/2 cups buttercream frosting (recipe below)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Whip in a stand mixer until combined.

Basic Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer, then add vanilla. Slowly add in sifted powdered sugar until all combined, scraping down the sides occasionally. You can add tint at this point and combine well.