Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Both brothers-in-law were released from the hospital on Friday and to welcome them back home, my two helpers (nieces Elise and Cecilia) and I thought we'd make cupcakes.  With his kidney issues and dialysis, my brother-in-law B wasn't allowed to have bananas (due to their high levels of potassium), and now that that's been resolved, we decided to make Martha Stewart's Roasted Banana Cupcakes.  These turned out SO good and the whole family loved them.  They're sweet, but not too sweet and the honey-cinnamon frosting was really an integral part of the whole thing.

Sorry the frosting's kinda messed up in this picture: they went so fast that before I knew it we only had one left and I put Saran Wrap over it to stick it in the fridge and it got smooshed.  They looked cute when I originally served them.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas, plus 1 to 2 more for garnish
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Honey-Cinnamon Frosting (below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, sift together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Remove banans from the oven and let cool before peeling.  Reduce oven temperature to 350.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add roasted bananas and beat to combine.  Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.  Beat in vanilla.
3. In another mixing bowl, with the electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites to soft peaks; fold one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Transfer to wire racks to cool.
5. To finish, fill a pastry bag with a star tip with frosting.  Pipe seven scallops around the perimeter of each cupcake, and pipe a large starburst in the center of each.  Just before serving, thinly slice remaining bananas and place 2 pieces on top of each cupcake.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until smooth.  Use immediately or refrigerate up to 5 dats in an airtight container.

Delicious!