Banana Bread Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

By minid33

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 cups sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash ground cloves
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• Frosting:
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick/4 oz./113g) butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners' (icing) sugar, sifted
• 3 to 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Food coloring, if tinting frosting

Details

Adapted from foodknows.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cupcakes:

Cream shortening and vanilla; beat in sugar until mixture is light. Add egg and beat well. Sift dry ingredients together twice; add to the creamed mixture, beating on low speed until blended. Stir in banana and blend well. Fill greased cupcake pans or paper liners about half full. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in center. Makes about 12 cupcakes.


Frosting:

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla.

Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the frosting seems too stiff.