Hummingbird Cupcakes

Hummingbird cupcakes are a delicious recipe my daughter Kendyl found in one of many cupcake books she owns. Its a household favorite and though we all love them, we don't like them to be made too often as they quickly disappear and can be seen on our asses and hips straight away!

The following recipe makes a dozen large-top cupcakes. 

Ingredients for cupcake batter: 

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola or corn oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinammon
• 1/2 cup mashed banana (1 banana)
• 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in its own juice, drained
• 1/2 cup (2oz) pecans, finely chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Prep: 

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners. Set aside. 

Cupcakes: 

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sale into a medium bowl and set aside. 

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

Add the cinnamon, mashed banana, pineapple, and pecans and blend into the batter. Fill each paper liner with about 1/3 cup of batter, to about 1/4 inch below the top of the liner. 

Bake just until the top feels firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan or on a wire rack. Remove the cupcakes from the pan onto a wire rack and let cool completely. 

Frosting: 

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth, about 1 minute, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute to lighten the frosting further. 

Spoon the frosting into a large pastry bag fitted with a large tip. Beginning at the edge of each cupcake, pipe swirls of frosting to cover the top of each. Serve, or cover loosely and refrigerate.