Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing

It's been a while since I posted a cupcake so get ready to have your socks knocked off! It's also my dad's birthday today so it's only fitting to make a cupcake right? Well, he's 3 hours away and I couldn't be with him today so I'll sit and eat a cupcake while I think of all the great things he's done for me over the years. Happy birthday dad!!

I had some bananas about to go bad so instead of tossing them out I looked on my handy dandy Iphone app Epicurious. This recipe grabbed me because you could eat the cupcake part for breakfast or make the frosting and eat it as a cupcake. The cake part is reminiscent of banana bread and is really dense. So you don't want to make these in those really large cupcake sizes!

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
(Adapted from Epicurious)

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend.

Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.


Frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. (I ran out of cream cheese so I added half marscapone which did make it a little richer.)

Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth.

Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally.

Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.