Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
The black walnuts are optional but I really think they add a wonderful depth of flavor to the cakes.
The black walnuts are optional but I really think they add a wonderful depth of flavor to the cakes.
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup water
- cake
- 1/3 cup oil
- frosting
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon sour cream
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
- 1 cup black walnuts (optional)
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese softened
- 1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 lbs powdered sugar
- milk, as necessary
- Carbohydrate 1369.55443543983 g
- Cholesterol 3214.34575999701 mg
- Fat 295.138053805532 g
- Fiber 19.8940001440048 g
- Protein 150.323061599881 g
- Saturated Fat 48.537239774005 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (2781g)
- Sodium 4892.4904973954 mg
- Sugar 1349.66043529583 g
- Trans Fat 27.5248608384003 g
- Calories 8554 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 24 muffin cups with liners.
- Put all the cake ingredients, except for the black walnuts, in a mixing bowl and beat on low until moistened, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the black walnuts and fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
- Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.
- Cool on wire rack in the pans for 10 minutes, then take out of the pans and cool completely on rack.
- For frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy.
- Beat in everything but the milk until well blended and fluffy.
- If it is too thick, you can add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you get your desired consistency.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes.
The Heavy Lifters
Mashed ripe bananas control the moisture balance of this batter completely. Bananas bring natural starches and sugars that hold onto water while the crumb bakes. Too much fruit creates a dense, gummy center. Too little fruit leaves the crumb dry. Measure by volume rather than counting whole bananas to keep the ratio stable.Scaling Yields Safely
Dividing or multiplying this batter requires attention to the leavening agents present in the boxed mix. Halving the recipe works cleanly with standard large eggs by beating the whole egg, weighing the liquid, and splitting the volume. Never eyeball a partial egg when scaling down. Baking times remain constant at 350 degrees Fahrenheit as long as individual muffin cups stay filled to the standard two-thirds mark. Pull the pans at the 16-minute mark to prevent over-baking the edges.Chemical Interactions
Fats from the butter and cream cheese coat the flour proteins, limiting gluten development and preserving a tender crumb. Sugar draws moisture out of the banana pulp through osmosis. This process concentrates the fruit flavor as the batter sits. Softened butter must blend thoroughly with the cream cheese before the powdered sugar goes in. Gritty frosting means the fat failed to dissolve the initial sugar load.
