The Blissful Secret

I made these cup cakes with my mother (on your left. Isn't she so cute?) and brought the leftovers to work with me the next day. With inquiring eyes, everyone wanted to know, "But how do you get the pudding inside?" I almost didn't want to tell them the very simple and uninteresting truth; I cut the tops off, carve out the middle, spoon in the pudding, and then place the top back on again. To let them in on my little secret would be the equivalent of exposing the reality of Santa Clause to a child. " Magic" I answered with a smile, deciding to let them linger a while longer with their own fantastical explanations. I have posted the recipe below, but if you ever resolve to make these tasty treats, you have to promise to keep my pudding-stuffing-method a secret, okay?

Blissfully Banana Cup Cakes


The Cake
18 cup cakes

2 1/4 cups- sifted cake flour (makes for a lighter cake than regular flour)
5 tbsp - all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp - baking soda
1/2 tsp - salt
1 cup, 2tbs - buttermilk (room temp)
3/4 cup - mashed bananas (2 very ripe bananas with brown skin)
10 tbsp - (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp
6 tbsp - vegetable oil
3/4 cup - lightly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup - granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs - room temp


1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake trays with liners.
2.) Sift both flours, baking soda, and salt, then set aside
3.) In a small bowl stir buttermilk into the mashed bananas and set aside.
4.) Cream butter, oil, both sugars and vanilla with mixer until light and fluffy. About two minutes.
5.) Scrape the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula then add eggs one at a time, mixing ten seconds for each egg.
6.) Starting and ending with the dry mixture, alternately add (in thirds) the flour mixture and then the buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter mixture. (To prevent over mixing your batter, mix the last flour mixture by hand, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl well.)
7.) Using an ice cream scooper with a side lever to release the batter, or a ladle if you don’t, fill trays 3/4 of the way up and place in oven for 15-20 min, or until golden brown, and springs back to the touch.


The Pudding

2 cups - milk
1 cup - sugar
4 tbsp - all purpose flour
2 eggs 1/2 tsp - vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

1. In a medium saucepan, heat milk until it is just about boiling.
2. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, and salt then slowly add mixture to the hot milk.
3. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pudding thickens.
4. Add two or three bananas thinly sliced, and press plastic wrap or parchment on top of mixture to prevent skin from developing. Cool on counter before chilling in refrigerator.



The Butter Cream Frosting

2 sticks - sweet butter at room temp
31/2 cups - confectioners sugar (no sifting necessary)
1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp - chilled heavy cream
1.) Place everything into food processor and process for 5 min.
2.) Place mixture into large mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until butter cream is light and fluffy (15-20 min)


Pudding-Stuffing-Method

1.) Angling the knife (small sharp paring) toward the center of the cup cake, cut in a circle motion, close to the edge.
2.) Remove the lid and shave off the underside.
3.) With a tiny spoon or a paring knife, carve out center of cake.
4.) Fill center with pudding and place lid back on.
5.) Frost the cake with a cake decorator tip, or with a butter knife.
6.) You can decorate the frosting with remaining cup cake crumbs, or you can toast them in the broiler or a hot oven and, in a small bowl, layer them with the leftover pudding. YUM!