I went down to make a different batch of banana cookies, only to find my mother had other plans. She had her old cookbook out, a cookbook that apparently she used to use a lot back in the day. Before she moved to a country where she found tons and tons of used books for less than a dollar. Looking through this funky old cookbook, I decided it’s much better than some of her other newer books, and I might be making a bunch of other stuff from there!
Anyways, these cupcakes. They’re wonderful. I absolutely love bananas. Walking up the stairs, and I inhale the scent in all its pure awesomeness. They’re slightly dense, but moist enough, and perfect with milk or perhaps chocolate-banana milkshake. 😉 There’s also something cheerful about muffins and cupcakes when you open the oven door to see them puffed up nicely. It just has Mission Accomplished written all over it.
11 oz (310 g) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5 oz (150 g) shortening
10 oz (283 g) sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 2/3 cups ripe bananas (about 4-5)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line muffin tin with paper or silicone cupcake cases.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together 3 times. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat thoroughly.
Add sifted ingredients and bananas alternately in thirds. Beat well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla.
Pour batter into cupcake cases, filling the cases 3/4 full. Bake until cupcakes have nicely browned, and spring back upon a light touch or a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Yield: 24
Recipe courtesy of Culinary Art Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook.
Diary of a Pinhead 