Today I decided to make Banana and Pecan Cupcakes. No real reason why, other than the fact that we had all the ingredients, and it'd been a while since I'd made some cuppie-cakes. And cuppie-cakes are always fun.
This recipe comes from Cupcakes by Susanna Tee, just like the walnut cupcakes I made before.
The Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 stick butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- ± ½ cup pecans
This recipe actually calls for superfine sugar, which I don't have. It also calls for chopped pecans, and I only had pecan halves. No biggy; both can be created using a food processor. It'll just add a couple of steps.
If your bananas aren't ripe enough, place them in a closed bag or container an hour before you begin.
And of course, like yesterday, the nuts are actually optional.
The Process
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
In another small bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas into a bloody pulp, minus the blood. (Seriously, please don't add blood to this recipe.)
If you're using granulated sugar, blend it in a food processor for a good minute, until fine. And make sure to cover any openings on your food processor, unless you want a sugary mist in your kitchen. Place the sugar in a large bowl appropriate for beating.
If you need to chop your pecans, but them into the food processor next. Using short pulses, chop until your desired size.
I was using the remains of two different bags of pecan halves, so I probably used more than ½ a cup (I didn't actually measure). This volume also included the powder at the bottom of the bags.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Returning to your bowl with the sugar in it, add the butter and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, like your pillow - unless you like hard pillows, then beat until light and fluffy, unlike your pillow. Add the eggs in one at a time.
Now you'll notice that the picture to the left has the butter, eggs, and sugar combined to blend at once. This is because I didn't pay super close to the recipe, and accidentally added them all together at once.
The result, on the right, was not light and fluffy at all. In fact, it was somewhat chunky, as the butter separated. I had to blend a lot to get it somewhat combined, and it still didn't have anything resembling the intended texture.
The result, on the right, was not light and fluffy at all. In fact, it was somewhat chunky, as the butter separated. I had to blend a lot to get it somewhat combined, and it still didn't have anything resembling the intended texture.
In case you needed validation that the order you add ingredients matters. It does.
Oopsie.
Stir in the bananas and sour cream, and then fold in the flour, then nuts.
At this point, as our oven is still out of commission, I transferred my batter and baking pans to the house I'm dogsitting at.
Spoon the batter into a muffin pan lined with cupcake holders. I filled mine until they were about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes; the cupcakes should be a light golden-brown and risen. And of course, a toothpick should come out clean.
I didn't bring wire racks with me, so I just let my cupcakes cool on top of a kitchen towel, with a paper towel over that to prevent any oil from getting on the cloth.
The Final Product
Some Notes
The recipe said this should make 24 cupcakes. I only had 18, using an amount of batter per cupcake holder for an appropriate shape and size. (This book pretty consistently yields less than the supposed intended amount.)
The cupcakes are kinda more similar to fluffy muffins. They're not very sweet. But they aren't really too flavorful either. You can taste the banana and pecans, but they're pretty muted.
If I Could Do It Again....
I'd pay more attention to the recipe, and actually beat the butter and sugar before adding in the eggs.
I wouldn't add more sugar though, because then you'd overpower the taste of the pecans and banana.
The Final Verdict
These cupcakes are okay. Okay texture. Okay flavor. Okay looks. Not super dry, but not really moist either. Nothing overwhelming. Mediocre at best.
The cupcakes aren't really bad, but they aren't really good. And they aren't really a desert. Repeating what I said earlier, they're more like a muffin. And even then, not a really good muffin.
Of course the recipe also had directions for a frosting, which was beyond basic: just butter and powdered sugar beat together, with pecans sprinkled on top. This would have made the cupcake sweeter. But if you've been following this blog, you already know I don't want a cupcake that's only good because of the frosting. And this suggested frosting isn't even special.
I'm sure there are better recipes out there for banana-nut cupcakes. And don't even bother making this if you aren't using the nuts. I'd suggest looking online for an alternate recipe rather than making this one.
Shucks.
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