Banana Cupcakes

I promised I'd fill this holiday seasons with cupcakes, and I'm no liar. Angie found some silicon liners for me and I just had to use them as soon as I got home from the store. Talk about dedicated. I had some ripe bananas that were due for some banana bread (I've made a banana bread addict out of Angie), but decided cupcakes would be the better option this time.

I followed Martha's recipe pretty much exactly, but I'll copy it down here just for convenience's sake. Also, I'm aware mine are nowhere as pretty as Martha's, but hey, it was my first time using silicon cups and I got a little sloppy. I promise to do better next time, dear bakers of the blogworld.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners (or in my case, silicon cups without liners). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey (I used homemade from my roommate)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 Directions

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.

 Prost!