Ho Hum...More Cupcakes!

One of my favorite cupcakes is Hummingbirds. In case you don’t know what these are, hummingbird cupcakes are comprised of mashed bananas and pineapples, pecans or walnuts, and topped with lots of cream cheese frosting. The original Hummingbird Cake recipe supposedly originated from Southern Living magazine, circa 1978, by a Mrs. L.H. Wiggins (according to http://www.foodtimeline.org/). Why this dessert is called a “hummingbird” is still a mystery however as no explanation has been given on its name. In fact, food historians have discovered that this cake has also been known as Cake That Doesn’t Last, Never Ending Cake, and Granny’s Best Cake. If it were up to me though, I’d call these cupcakes Simply Scrumptious. Because they just are.

Hummingbird Cupcakes (from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cups unbleached AP flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 banana)

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in its own juice, drained

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:

(Position a rack in the middle of the oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners)
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium size bowl and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg and yolk and the sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about two minutes (use an electric mixer on medium speed). Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during the mixing.

3. On low speed, mix in the oil and vanilla until blended. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

4. Add the cinnamon, mashed banana, pineapple, and pecans to the cupcake batter, and mix just to blend them together.

5. Fill each cupcake liner with about 1/3 cup of batter. Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Then, place the cupcakes on the wire rack to cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

(makes 3 cups)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blend (about 1 minute). On medium speed, beat the mixture for another 1 minute.