Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

You know how whenever you're having a really bad day, and you say to yourself, "it can't get any worse" and then ten minutes later it gets worse?

Yeahhhh... That was Sunday.

This weekend was my mother and I's birthday weekend. I get told a lot that my birthday kind of gets shafted, you know, with my mom's birthday the day before mine and Christmas 6 days away. You'd think it'd be like, "oh cool! I get double the presents!" but that's totally not the case.

It's more like... "oh, cool! my birthday present is my Christmas present too!"

*Awkward silence*

"....waaaaaaaaitaminute."

Yeah.

Totally not bitter or anything like that. Nope.

Kidding, in all honesty, I don't really mind. After I turned 15 I got really weird about birthdays. I just never liked them after that. Call me crazy, but a whole day devoted to me is not something I'm too into. And no, it's not because I'm Ms. Humble ;) It's because that every time my birthday rolls around, something happens that ends up ruining my whole day. Don't believe me? I can pretty much list every single birthday since I was 14 where somethings gone wrong. It's crazy.

My birthday is like an excuse for the universe to play russian roulette or rather, "let's-press-all-of-alex's-buttons" day. So I prefer to skip the whole birthday thing. It just makes it easier.

However, this year, I decided to bite the bullet and do something.

Instead of being a "party-pooper" on my own birthday, I went ahead and planned to do something I actually wanted to do. What better excuse? It's my birthday. You gotta do it, or else you'll end up on Santa's naughty list and get no presents.

At least that's what I tell my nieces and nephews.

What? It's the only perk of having a birthday close to Christmas. ;)

Anyway, I decided I wanted to bake my own cake (aka the only cake I'll eat besides rum cake), have all my family members over to play a board game, and just really spend time with my family. Something that I have been lacking horribly the past 5 months.

The day didn't start off bad... In fact, it was great. Filled with new york crumb cake and lots of (caffeinated) tea. It was wonderful. Church was awesome, and everyone sang me happy birthday, which caused me to sink into my chair, turn into a tomato and run to North Korea.

Then, all it took was a text message. Our vacuum had broken in the middle of my mother cleaning the house back at home. "Ok, figures," I think to myself, "at least that's all it was".

That should've been the first sign.

Next thing you know, I realize I have no ingredients for the cake I want to make. Ok, another bump in the road, not too bad... Go to the store, get the ingredients, and then see that I forgot the most crucial part of carrot cake.

Carrots.

So, there goes another trip to the store. I start to get jittery at this point, watching the clock all the while. I get home and try to get going as quickly as possible. I get all my ingredients ready, set everything up, butter my cake pans, preheat the oven....

And then the oven catches on fire.

Yeah.

Fire.

Flames.

Fiery flamey flames.

Next thing I know the whole house is filled with smoke and my neighbors are asking if I'm letting Bob Marley stay at my house. The smoke is so dense I can barely see the other side of the kitchen, and as the oven stays on it's not getting any better.

It's at this point that the universe wins and Alex goes into breakdown mode.

"I knew this was going to happen," I cried, shaking an invisible fist to the universe. "This always happens!"

Thankfully, my mom was there. And since she can magically make everything better, the day didn't end in disaster and fiery flames. She helped me calm down, clean up the oven, keep baking, and get everything done in time.

And you know what? Everything came out perfectly. The cake. The frosting. The party. The everything.

Overall, I did have a good birthday. And I had a freakin' delicious carrot cake to go with it. I honestly adore carrot cake. Probably the only cake I'll ever eat. And the brown sugar cream cheese frosting was such a complement to the cake... I loved it. The best part about this cake is that it has virtually no fat in it. I had even used 0 calorie granulated sugar and it was still amazing. I kept it moist with 0% greek yogurt and REAL brown sugar. The taste was tremendous and just lightly spiced. Over all the cake came out great. Although there is no coconut in this cake. I'm seriously against coconut in carrot cake... Sue me.

Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup greek yogurt (fat-free works fine)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar (zero calorie sugar substitutes work fine for this cake)

4 eggs (I used 1 cup egg substitute)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained of most its juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts (I used more than this cause I love walnuts in carrot cake)

1 cup golden raisins

3 cups grated carrots (I finely grate mine to a pulp)

BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

8oz cream cheese, room temperature ( I used fat-free)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature (I used light)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)

3 cups powdered sugar (add more as needed)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Grease 1 9x13 inch pan or 2 8x8 cake pans with butter and flour.

3. Mix together greek yogurt and sugars until fully combined. Mix in egg substitute until incorporated (if using real eggs, beat in one at a time), and then proceed to mix in the crushed pineapple and vanilla extract.

4. Gently fold in walnuts, raisins and carrots, being careful not to overmix.

5. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake at 350F for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean and the cake is a slightly dark golden brown.

6. While cake is cooling, make the frosting. Blend together the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon until smooth. Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you've reached a stiff, smooth frosting. In other words, if you use a spatula to pick up the frosting from the bowl and the frosting is dripping off your spatula, you need more powdered sugar. Set the frosting aside or put in covered container in the fridge until cake is cooled and ready.

7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to frost (this is also helpful for cooling the cake down quicker so the frosting does not melt). Once cake is cooled, frost with brown sugar cream cheese frosting any way you'd like.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have an aversion to cupcakes.

I don't know why or what it is about cupcakes that are unappealing/unappetizing to me. And I'm not talking about just a particular part of the cupcake. I don't eat the cake and leave the frosting or vice versa. No, I just flat out leave the whole thing in tact.

It doesn't even matter if they are homemade or store-bought. If the frosting is cream cheese or buttercream. Either way, chances are I'm going to pass them by the dessert table and go straight for the out of the box brownies.

I didn't realize how alone I was in this feeling until my co-workers and I had a huge discussion about cake and desserts in the break room one night, where I stated briefly that I "didn't like to eat cupcakes".

The jaws dropped to the floor and it was like in seconds I was Jason Bourne trying to figure out what was wrong with me and why everyone wanted me dead. "You don't like cupcakes?!" they exclaimed, following with statements like: "cupcakes are my favorite! how can you not like cupcakes?" "I've never met anyone who didn't like cupcakes!" "Alex, you can't be a baker and not like cupcakes." As I sat there, my reputation as a baker diminished for my dislike of cake and frosting and everything else, I decided to do what any hard-headed baker would do.

I asked someone what their favorite cupcake was and I baked it that very week.


Of course, out of all the types of cupcakes that could be requested, Red Velvet made it's way to the top of the list. Sure, yeah. Pick the cake with the five gallons of food coloring in it, I thought, as I grumpily grabbed a whole bottle of it from the grocery shelf. Three dollars to prove my worth. All because of a cupcake debate.

As I woke up that very morning at 9AM to bake those cupcakes to take to work, I couldn't help but try to figure out in my head all the reasons of why I don't like cupcakes. So far, this is all that I have:

1. I ate too much pillsbury chocolate frosting out of the can as a child, and have ruined myself forever.

2. I ate five cupcakes at a party once and ended up puking up sprinkled cake mix, and have ruined myself forever.

3. Frosting cupcakes sucks.

4. Frosting cupcakes suck when you have no pastry bags.

5. Frosting cupcakes suck when you have no frosting tips.

6. Frosting cupcakes sucks.

7. I am too impatient to frost a cake or a cupcake and make it look nice.

8. I am too impatient to bake five hundred cupcakes and make them look nice.

9. I am too impatient.

10. At least when you eat 5 cookies as a midnight snack you don't have 5 empty wrappers waiting on the desk/counter/trashcan to give you a guilt-trip in the morning.

11. In fact, why the hell do cupcakes have to have wrappers? What makes them so special that I have to spend an extra 2 dollars just to make them look pretty? They already have frosting, what more do you want from me!?

12. Cupcakes are divas. Divas with wrappers. And sprinkles.

13. I'm poor.

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that my relationship with cupcakes has absolutely nothing to do with that list and I just am one of those people who prefer the apple to the orange. But at least I can go home happy knowing that while I may not like everything that I bake, at least I can bake it and know it will taste good regardless. Even if it doesn't have sprinkles on it. Or a wrapper. Whatever.

These cupcakes will definitely hit home for any red velvet cake fan. Please, do not skimp on this one. The cream cheese frosting is a must, as is the cake flour. If you leave those two out, you will only be left with an unsatisfying heavy cake that is most definitely not red velvet. And just a tip: Don't forget to check if you have enough red food coloring. 2 tablespoons is more than that little container you get when you buy a pack of assorted colors. Trust me on this one. I know from experience... and failed "pink" velvet cakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Adapted from Annie Eats)

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:
2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

5. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Cream Cheese Glaze

The fact that October is in 4 days hasn't hit me yet. The fact that Halloween is at hand and I feel like we're still just getting over Easter is bugging me. I've never been one to lose count of the months, or the days. Now it feels like the complete opposite.

And that whole Christmas is in 3 months thing...

Yeah. 3 months. I know everyone reading this just felt their stomach drop.

Even though fall is here it doesn't feel like it yet. Sure, we've put up all our fancy fall specials in the cafe of our store. Canned pumpkin is making its return full blast and Winter Squash is goin' for 69 cents a pound at the store. It should feel like it's Autumn, but where's the cold? Kind of hard to enjoy my butternut squash soup on a chilly night when it's hot enough to still be drinking pink lemonade and eating overpriced strawberries.


Regardless of the humidity, I'm still trying to get into the set of things. I know that as soon as I get that whiff of winter on a chilly, foggy morning here, I'll get the Christmas bug. I like to call it my CCD. Christmas Cookie Disorder. It begins whenever the first smell of winter arrives, and leaves any time after the store stops selling those awesome Danish Butter Cookies that come in the dark blue tins... Dang, those things are good.

This loaf is one of those things helping me remind myself that yes, it is almost October. Yes, there is pumpkin to be eaten. Yes, I do not have any freakin' idea what to get anyone for Christmas and Yes, this Pumpkin Spice Loaf goes great with Coffee or if you're feeling really ambitious, a Pumpkin Spice Latte'. Hey, man, if you're gonna go all the way.... ;)

The bread itself is moist, a little less sweeter than you're normal pumpkin bread just because I went ahead and cut the sugar in half so I wouldn't get a blood rush in the morning when I ate it for breakfast. It's virtually fat-free, replacing all the oil with unsweetened applesauce and only using one whole egg. The bread still stays delicious, though I could've definitely amped up the "spice" part of it, but I feared the end result would be a little too hardcore for my cinnamon-hating other half to handle. I'd say when and if you do make the bread, definitely throw in 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, and maybe even add 1/4 teaspoon of allspice. Or you can just go with a healthy dose of pumpkin pie spice and call it a day. Whatever makes your skirt fly up.

Though the bread part of it is pretty much good for snacking and breakfast, the unsweet undertones of the bread are balanced out completely by the cream cheese frosting.

And yes. It is to die for. You will have leftovers. Use them wisely. As in.... insert spoon into vat of frosting and proceed to put it in your mouth. Don't worry! Even the frosting isn't that bad for you... Or at least that's what we can pretend.

I'm going to keep trying to get my mindset in the Autumn mood. Maybe buy a few fuzzy jackets. Make a few Christmas Cookies ahead of time. Eat some gingersnaps. Eat some gingersnaps in a crust with Pumpkin Pie. Eat some gingersnap in a crust with Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. Heck, maybe I'll actually carve a pumpkin this year and make it look like Elvis.

And then I'll make another loaf of pumpkin spice bread. And eat all the frosting for breakfast. Yep. That sounds like a plan.

Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Cream Cheese Glaze

Pumpkin Spice Loaf Ingredients:
1 cup of pure canned pumpkin
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg white
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I would up this to 2 teaspoons next time)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I would up this to 1 teaspoon next time)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (optional, but it wouldn't hurt)

Cream Cheese Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light and it tasted fine)
4 oz 1/3 less than fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(yes, you will have leftover glaze. If you do not want leftover glaze, cut the ingredients in half)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Combine all wet ingredients, pumpkin through vanilla extract, into a medium bowl. In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, flours through allspice.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until no trace of flour is left
4. Pour the mixture into a well greased 9x5in. loaf pan, making sure the batter is even and flat on the surface.
5. Bake at 325F for 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Meanwhile, while bread is baking, make the glaze. Mix together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar by 1/2 cupfuls, waiting until each one is incorporated until adding more. Once you've got the desired consistency, set aside.
7. When bread is finished baked, leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out and cooling completely on a wire wrack. Once bread is cooled, top off with half of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep the rest in the fridge for later baking adventures. Or you can go all out and just pour all of that glaze on top of the bread. Whatever strikes your fancy. ;)

Serves 12 generously. Or just one really ravenous lady at breakfast.

Identity Crisis White Cake with Strawberries

I truly believe that reality T.V. should come with a warning. Maybe like...

"WARNING! Please do not watch this show if you have any desire to keep hope for mankind." Or, "WARNING! Please do not watch this show if you have 4 feet of clean clothes to fold and put away and a sink full of dishes." Or even, "WARNING! Please do not watch unless you absolutely enjoy spending your time watching/making fun of/staring in disbelief at general human stupidity." Etc, etc...

Maybe, then, I wouldn't get stuck watching it so much. Then again, I could always get up and turn my T.V. off or change the channel... but every time I do that, I end up going to the food network, and for some reason Giada is always on. And while she's definitely not a horror to watch... I'm much more interested in seeing food than cleavage. Might as well go back to VH1 for that.

My mother and I were discussing reality T.V. last night. I'm definitely not as addicted* as her when it comes to keeping up with all the episodes but I shamefully enjoy a couple of them. My favorites happen to be celebrity fit club, tool academy, and occasionally celebrity rehab. And the next one that just started, Jessica Simpsons "the price of beauty" has already shown some kind of promise. I wouldn't even really count that as reality T.V. More like a comedy central skit with meaningful undertones. I mean seriously, Jessica... giggling in the middle of meditation with a bhuddist? Who does that?

Wait, i'm talking about Jessica Simpson, here. Why am I surprised? Kidding, kidding. Jessica, don't worry. I love ya for who you are. Really.



Anywho, so my mom and I were discussing reality T.V. and I had to laugh at what she was telling me. "You know," she began, "if these people want to lose weight (referring to celebrity fit club), they should just go on drugs. Then, they won't be hungry. And then they can go to celebrity rehab. And then they can go to sex rehab. Which will then lead them back to celebrity fit club..."

"Then they can make a show about finding their true love!" I piped in. "Yes, yes!" My mom laughed, agreeing. "...And then go right back to sex rehab." I slipped in smugly. We both broke out into fits of giggles.

I don't think that there's anything really wrong with some Reality T.V... I think that I, along with everyone else in the world, have a hard time turning away from watching a train wreck. And that's basically what reality T.V. is half the time. Fake or not, it is pretty darn funny to watch if you don't take it so seriously.

Plus, it's the perfect thing to watch when you're eating this cake. Because just like every single person on Reality T.V., this cake seems to be having identity issues. It can really relate.



I mean, it really just can't decide what it wants to be. When it comes to fashion, it leans towards the whole strawberry tiramisu look... but in terms of taste, it's more like a frosted version of a strawberry shortcake. Some may even say it's borderline neopolitan. But me? Well... I just see it as exactly what it is. A white cake filled with strawberries, frosted with vanilla buttercream and dusted with cocoa powder.

So in other words, a really gosh darn good cake that came out way better than expected.

I don't know what compelled me to bake a cake yesterday morning. I just kind of winged it, putting together different things that my family enjoyed and throwing it all together. Thankfully, the end product is a divinely fluffy white cake, a not-too-sweet buttercream, a perfectly light fruity filling and a wonderful burst of cocoa powder that just rounds it all out. I like it a lot.

It's not hard to make, at all. Though, I do recommend frosting it better than I did, letting the cake cool in the fridge before frosting. I admit, I suck at frosting cakes. Don't ask me why, I just do. Something about my whole "too-impatient-to-wait-to-put-a-second-layer-on" thing... Who knows. All I know is that this cake is awesome and you should definitely try it if you want something light and sweet. Or if you're having an identity crisis, too.



Identity Crisis White Cake with Strawberries
(Makes 2 8 or 9in. cake pans, or 9x13 pan)

INGREDIENTS:

Cake
2 1/4 cup cake flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
6oz (scant 1/2c) vanilla yogurt (fat free is fine)
1 tablespoon orange zest (optional, but highly recommended)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but whole, soy or skim milk will work fine)
1/2 cup water
6 egg whites

1/2 cup raw organic cacao powder (or another good quality cocoa powder)

Filling
1/2 tub whipped cream (or make about 1 cups worth of homemade)
1/2 pint of strawberries, sliced thin

Vanilla Buttercream
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and spray 2 9in. cake pans or a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper if desired (RECOMMENDED).

2. To prepare the cake, sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl or mixing bowl, blend the butter, yogurt, sugar and orange zest if using together until smooth and light.

4. In a pyrex measuring cup or just a plain cup, combine 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and extracts together.

5. In another separate, small bowl, using CLEAN mixers, whip the 6 egg whites until they form a nice soft peak (they don't have to be hard peaks, soft is fine... just make sure it isn't liquidy soft but structurally soft).

6. Alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, slowly blend in the flour, then the milk, then the flour, then the milk, then the rest of the flour, until well combined.

7. Take about 1/3rd of your egg white mixture and blend it straight in with a spatula to your cake batter. Proceed to FOLD NOT BLEND the rest of the egg white mixture to the bowl until there are only a few noticeable spots (do not over-mix at this point).

8. Pour batter in prepared pans, giving the side of the pan a nice little hit with your hand to smooth out the top of the batter. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.

9. Allow cake to cool before removing and storing in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, or just allow to cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

10. To prepare vanilla buttercream, mix the butter and vanilla extract together until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and 1-2 tablespoons milk (if your mixture is too thick, thin it out with a little more milk).

11. To assemble cake, either cut through the middle of the two cakes to create a four-layer cake, or simply keep them as is (your choice). You may also cut off the tops of the cakes for a more smooth surface, if desired (recommended). On the top of one layer of your cake, fill the top with about 1/4 of your whipped cream (prepared or homemade), smoothing out to around the edges. Top with strawberry slices, slightly overlapping. Place the other cake ontop of it, and smooth out the whipped cream around the edges with an offset spatula. Place in refrigerator to set for about 20 minutes.

12. Once filling has set, take the cake back out, and proceed to use about 1/2 of your frosting to do an initial crumb coating on your cake. Frost your cake as desired with 1/2 of the frosting, then place back into the fridge until crumb coating is set. Take back out, and frost the cake with the rest of the frosting. Smooth with offset spatula for a clean look.

13. Sift the top of the cake with cocoa powder before storing, covered, in the refrigerator, or keeping covered at room temp. Unfrosted/unfilled cake can be frozen for up to 2-3 weeks.

Banana Split Cupcakes

You know what I read today?

That people actually have a "traditional" way to eat a banana split.

What!?

I didn't even KNOW there was such a thing as rituals when eating a banana split. I mean. Really, the last thing on my mind is how i'm going to eat a banana split when you put a big bowl full of ice-cream, whipcream, banana, hot fudge with a wicked cool cherry on top in front of me. The only thing I'm thinking is: "Where is my spoon and I swear to God my *insertfriendnamehere* better not eat that cherry"... Definitely not sitting there contemplating specific ways to eat my banana split.

But did you know that people actually do that? Some people say that what you're suppose to do is eat the ice-cream flavors IN SPECIFIC ORDER. Someone said that they like to start light (strawberry first), then go right for the chocolate, and then end with the vanilla... Another person said that they only eat the whipcream with the banana and leave the ice-cream till afterwards... Are you serious?! Hello! Banana splits were totally not meant to be deconstructed! And no part should ever be ignored. Maybe other people are into that... but as for me, I think I'll stick with just delving in and appreciating all the flavors at once. Oh yes. Sugar overload. It's one of lifes necessaties. Especially concerning banana splits.

Not to mention someone said they don't even like the cherry on top! Pshh.

The only way a banana split should be deconstructed is if it's reconstructed to make something even better. Yes, people. Banana split cupcakes. They exist. Thank God do they exist.

Banana cupcakes topped with a light vanilla buttercream, drizzled with chocolate syrup and then topped with candied cherry-halves... It sounds complicated, doesn't it?

Well, it's not at all! As long as you have some spotty bananas, butter, chocolate syrup, and cherries (don't have to be candied!), you are good to go. And if you're into some crushed walnuts, you could add those too! (Unfortunately allergies were put into consideration when making these cupcakes... so no nuts on these babies).

The cupcakes are insanely easy to make but BE WARY -- they make A LOT. I was using a mini-cupcake pan for the majority of them and WHOA, I made enough to put Friendly's banana split out of business. For real.

While they don't give you the ice-cold sweet treat you may be looking for... if you want to enjoy all the flavors of a banana split in a cute little munching form, this is definitely the way to go. Plus, I have a hunch that their less calories than a normal banana split. Just sayin'.

If you do make these though, I better not see you wiping off that frosting or taking off that cherry.
And if you do, well... I'll have it ;)

Banana Split Cupcakes

(Makes about 36 mini cupcakes, and about 24 regular cupcakes)

Banana Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk


**Additional toppings:
Candied cherries, halved,
crushed walnuts,
chocolate syrup (homemade or store bought)


Directions:

1. To make Banana Cupcakes, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pans (or just spray liberally with cooking spray.) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Pour batter into muffin pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and place on a damp tea towel to cool.

To make vanilla buttercream frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add salt, vanilla, confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat well. Add more/less sugar/milk for desired consistency.

How to set up cupcakes: Using a piping bag or other, pipe frosting on COOLED cupcakes. Put half of a candied cherry in middle. Melt chocolate to syrupy consistency (or use already made chocolate syrup), and with a small spoon drizzle chocolate over cherry and frosting. Garnish with finely chopped walnuts if desired.