Hello there. It’s been a little while since I stopped by these parts, and certainly longer than planned, although I do feel somewhat refreshed now. A break was definitely in order after Thanksgiving. I can’t stay long, though, since there are even now so many things on the schedule this weekend: Christmas shopping to do, Christmas returns to make (already!), work parties, gaming day, chocolate to buy, a trip to Tazza D’Oro to replenish my coffee stash, and somewhere in the middle of all that, laundry.

Right now I don’t much feel like doing any of it, although I do feel like remembering how pleased I was with the banana cupcakes made earlier in the week (and wishing I’d squirrelled one away in the freezer for right now). You might remember that I used to be a cupcake-hater, but, ahem, let’s just say that the times, they are a changin’. Now, I do like cupcakes, although the caveat is that they have to be made by me rather than by a bakery, so I can obsessively limit the quantity and sweetness of their frosting. But these little fellas have the kind of frosting that I don’t usually consider when thinking about frosting: cream cheese. I guess I didn’t realize this before, but I can eat much more cream cheese frosting than nearly any other kind. And when this very frosting is twirled atop a bite of moist, banana-cardamom cupcake, I can make the sacrifice to eat a little more than my share, just to make sure everything turned out right.

The cupcake recipe is based on one from, well, I don’t actually remember…maybe Cupcake Project? I’ve made them a few times and they’re just wonderful - they even stay a nice shade of pale rather than getting brown like banana bread. After frosting them, I sprinkled the tops with a fine grating of nutmeg, which really sent them over the top for me, although it’s not completely necessary. The recipe makes slightly more than a dozen (around 16 for me), which is an ideal number for a smallish get-together of people who maybe sometimes like a second helping.

Banana-Cardamom Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.

Whisk flour, salt, cardamom, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating each time until fully incorporated. Add the yogurt and Turn speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, mixing just until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas. Scoop batter by 1/4 cup-measures into prepared pan.

Bake at 350ºF for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Basic Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe makes enough frosting for two batches of cupcakes, unless you really plaster on the frosting!

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons (2 ounces, 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until well mixed, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and mix. Add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until frosting reaches the desired sweetness. Beat on high speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Pipe or spoon onto cupcakes, then grate a little nutmeg over each one, if you like.

Posted by the cookworm on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 11:52 pm.