Roasted Banana & Pecan Mini-Cupcakes

{ April 10, 2010 @ 6:40 pm } · { Cupcakes }
{ Tags: banana, nuts }

“I think you’ve outdone yourself this time.” – Boy

And I had.

Do you ever get into a rut? This week was my rut.

I was just sick of the same ol’ same ol’. I wanted different new different new! I wanted a change. Job/school, Boy, everything else. It was the same thing every day. I was tired of going to the hospital at a certain hour, eating lunch at a certain hour,  waiting for the clock to hit the certain hour so I could go home. (I’m on research elective right now so I don’t even have much interaction with other human beings. It’s awful lonely.) I was tired of coming home, cooking, eating in front of the laptop/television, and then continuing research. I was tired of eating leftovers for lunch the next day. I was tired in general.

So what did I do? I baked.

I had two overripe bananas and I decided that this time they wouldn’t be turned into pancakes (my usual go-to) or even bread (everyone else’s go-to so I have it often enough even though I don’t make it). They were going to be my change. They would bring me out of my rut.

I looked around the internet ahem-myfavoriteblogs-ahem for something to strike my eye but nothing really did. Breads and pancakes were rampant. I WANTED DIFFERENT NEW!

And then.. these cupcakes appeared. (Well, not really appeared. More like, I literally looked around my room and saw Martha Stewart’s Cupcake book, flipped through it, and saw these.) And while Martha has her own banana pecan cupcake, the idea of roasting my bananas was enough to pull me out of my rut alone. Making them tiny and adding the candied pecans I made earlier in the week? A stroke of genius.

These really are pull-you-out-of-a-rut-cupcakes. Mini-cupcakes are the perfect size for a pick-me-up without concern for thighs, abs, or chicken arms. And if you keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, they turn into a delicious cold treat when New Jersey decides to be over 90F in April and you haven’t turned on the a/c yet. Win!

Roasted Banana Mini-Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting & Candied Pecans
adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Makes 48 mini-cupcakes.
[I halved this recipe so pictures will be half what you’d see if you make the full recipe.]

Ingredients
For cupcakes:
3 ripe bananas
2 c cake flour, sifted [or all-purpose flour + cornstarch!]
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

For frosting:
2 1/2 confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 sticks (1 c) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For pecans:
See recipe here.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Place whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Peels will darken. It will smell divine. Remove bananas from oven and let cool before peeling. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a bowl, on medium speed with a hand or stand mixer, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Set aside.

On medium-high speed with a hand or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition, and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add roasted bananas. They’ll just fall apart. It’s glorious. Add flour in 3 batches alternating with the sour cream in 2 batches, just combining the ingredients before adding the next batch. Beat in vanilla. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter at a time until all incorporated. Divide batter among a pre-lined mini-cupcake pan. 3/4 full is ideal. Press 3 pecan halves into each mini-cupcake. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

While baking, make the frosting! On medium with a hand or stand mixer, combine all the ingredients until smooth. So easy!

To finish: When cupcakes are cooled, use your favorite tip or plastic baggie with the corner cut off to pipe frosting. Top with banana slices or a whole pecan. Eat a minimum of 5. Wash down with milk.

Smiles.

– Sharlene