Ingredients
1½cupsall-purpose flour
½tspbaking powder
½tspbaking soda
¼tspsalt
¾cupsbananas,(about 2 large bananas), mashed and very ripe
1tsplemon juice
6tbspunsalted butter,softened
1cupgranulated sugar
1largeegg
1tspvanilla extract
½cuplow-fat buttermilk
1easy vanilla pastry cream
2bananas,sliced
¾cuppecans,or toffee bits, chopped
16maraschino cherries,or 1 banana sliced
⅔cupmilk chocolate chips
⅓cupheavy whipping cream
1⅓cupsheavy whipping cream
⅓cuppowdered sugar
½tspvanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
In a small bowl mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar for about 3 to 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla.
Add mashed bananas and stir until combine. Mix in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Pour 1/4 cup mixture into greased muffin cups or paper muffin cups. Bake for 22-24 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let muffins cool in muffin pan 5 minutes, then remove from muffin pan and let cool 30 minutes on a wire cooling rack.
Pipe vanilla pastry cream on top of muffins and refrigerate until ready to serve. Place banana slices on top immediately before serving.
For ganache, place chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat bringing just to a boil.
Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips, whisk until smooth. Allow ganache to cool slightly before pouring over cupcakes. Pour about ½ tablespoon full over over each cupcake. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl with and electric mixer, whip whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form (keep whipped cream refrigerated until serving).
Just before serving pipe sweetened whipped cream over cooled chocolate covered cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Garnish each cupcake with a maraschino cherry or a fresh banana slice.
Store cupcakes in the refrigerator, they will keep their shape for about 3 hours before the cream starts to separate.
