Monday, January 17, 2011

Monday Funday = Banana Split Cupcake!

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2011 was to eat healthier. (I know, a cupcake blog really kind of contradicts that. Haha.) Last weekend I bought a bunch of bananas that I planned on eating throughout the week. Well, I only ate one banana from the bunch and by Friday they were starting to get brown. Luckily, that is a baker's perfect banana! I just let them sit there in my fruit basket and get their brown on until I was ready to party! And what is the best thing to have at a party?! Well, a banana split, of course! :) So this week I decided to try out a Banana Split Cupcake, which is a banana cupcake (recipe from Martha Stewart), with a chocolate ganache filling, topped with a vanilla whipped creme frosting. Delicious!

Banana Cupcake: (makes 18)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe medium-sized bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In the well, mix together the melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Carefully incorporate the flour mixture with the banana mixture. Be sure not to over mix the batter.
5. Fill the cupcake pans, each cup about 3/4s of the way full.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Take them out and let them cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache Filling:
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
8 oz Chocolate, chopped

1. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream up to a boil.
2. Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
3. Once the whipping cream is boiling, pour it on top of the chocolate.
4. Stir the chocolate until melted through.
5. Pop the bowl of chocolate into the freezer for about 15 minutes to thicken the consistency a bit.

Whipped Creme Frosting:

1 cup Heavy Whipping Creme
5-6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a standing mixer, beat the whipping creme on a medium speed until thickened (about 2 minutes).
2. Slow the speed down on the mixer and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the whipped creme gets stiff peaks. You may have to stop the mixer to check the whipped creme peaks.
3. Mix in the vanilla extract, to taste.

Building the cupcakes into Banana Splits:
1. Once your cupcakes are cooled, you will have to put a hole in them. I used a frosting tip that I had lying around. But you could even use a pearing knife (which may take a while) or a straw. Really, anything that will make a 1/2 inch hole in your cupcake.
2. Fill your cupcakes with the Chocolate Ganache Filling. Overfilling is totally acceptable.
3. Pipe on your Whipped Creme Frosting. (You can use a large ziplock bag to pipe on the frosting. Fill the bag and cut one the tips off the corner. Voila! You have a piping bag!)
4. Top with a Maraschino Cherry and Nuts, if desired.
5. PARTY!

Storage: I am storing these in the refrigerator due to the fact that the frosting is really fragile and will probably melt if they sat at room temp.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

I'm not ready for the holiday season to end! {Gingerbread Cupcakes with White Chocolate Butter Creme Frosting}

 Happy New Year! It's 2011! I hope you all are as excited about 2011 as I am! :)


For one of my New Year's Resolutions, I told myself that I would do my best to blog at least once a week on both of my blogs. (Yes, I have TWO! Haha. I have considered starting a third blog about cooking, but decided against it.)

As I was scouring my brain and my cupboards for a cupcake to make today, I remembered that I (sadly) did not make anything Gingerbread this Christmas season. Normally, we make a homemade Gingerbread house. However, I did consume a LOT of Gingerbread Lattes. Yum! So, I decided to make a Gingerbread Cupcake. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart. And I have been craving White Chocolate all day, so I went with a White Chocolate Butter Creme Frosting.

AND OMG.... I finally just tried one and this is probably my new favorite cupcake. So delicious!

Gingerbread Cupcakes (makes about 24 cupcakes)
 2 teaspoons baking soda
 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 2 teaspoons ground ginger
 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
 1 cup molasses
 2 large eggs, room temperature

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
4. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light.
5. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture.
7. Beat in the eggs.
8. Fill your cupcake trays that are lined with paper three-quarters full.
9. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting.

White Chocolate Butter Creme Frosting
1 bag White Chocolate Chips
2 sticks butter
3-4 cups confectioner's sugar


1. In a small saucepan, add about a cup of water. Get a glass bowl that can handle high temperatures and that can fit inside the small saucepan. Make sure that the water in the sauce pan does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Bowl the water in the saucepan and place the bowl on top. Fill the bowl with the White Chocolate Chips. You have just created a double boiler. With a spatchula, stir around the chips until all are melted. Try not to eat the entire bowl of melted white chocolate... ;)
2. Put the butter in a standing mixer and beat until whipped.
3. Slowly add in the melted White Chocolate. Beat until incorporated.
4. Add in the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time until it meets the correct consistency. Try not to eat the entire bowl of frosting...


Once your cupcakes are cooled, frost those babies. Then give them a try. Your taste buds are going to dance. Your house is going to smell like Christmas. It's going to be a really good day for you. Trust me.




  • 2 teaspoons baking soda







  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour







  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger







  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon







  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves







  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg







  • 1/2 teaspoon salt







  • 2 teaspoons baking powder







  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature







  • 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar







  • 1 cup unsulphered molasses







  • 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten






  • Read more at Marthastewart.com: Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes



  • 2 teaspoons baking soda







  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour







  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger







  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon







  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves







  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg







  • 1/2 teaspoon salt







  • 2 teaspoons baking powder







  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature







  • 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar







  • 1 cup unsulphered molasses







  • 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten






  • Read more at Marthastewart.com: Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes



  • 2 teaspoons baking soda







  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour







  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger







  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon







  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves







  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg







  • 1/2 teaspoon salt







  • 2 teaspoons baking powder







  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature







  • 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar







  • 1 cup unsulphered molasses







  • 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten






  • Read more at Marthastewart.com: Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes