Decadent Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

These chocolate banana cupcakes are insanely delicious.  Moist banana cake dipped in dark chocolate then topped with chocolate almond buttercream and a banana chip.  After getting rave reviews for these Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes, I put my thinking cap on to see if I could come up with a new take on the chocolate-covered cupcake.  This was a no-brainer.  My family says that these are the best cupcakes I have ever made.  They look so appealing and the two kinds of chocolate take it to the next level.  It’s like a decadent version of the classic chocolate chip banana bread.

Putting these chocolate banana cupcakes together is easy.  Once your cupcakes have cooled, just dip them in your melted dark chocolate.  No need to temper if you use the Ghirardelli melts.  One important thing to watch for:  when you bake up your cupcakes be sure to fill each one with 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of batter.  You can also use #16 cookie scoop, I’ve got details of how to choose the right size cookie scoop and which brand to buy here.  It’s important that the cupcakes form a nice dome above the paper.  Otherwise you won’t be able to dip them in the chocolate without making a big mess.  I used a 1M tip to pipe the frosting on top but you can also put the frosting in a  ziplock and snip the end and pipe that way.  Or just spread it on with a butter knife or off-set spatula.  These taste so good you will not care if they look imperfect.


INGREDIENTS
For Cupcakes:

• 3 ripe bananas mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder or substitute 3 tablespoons buttermilk for buttermilk powder and water
• 2 tablespoons water
• 10 oz. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers or other dark chocolate candy melts
• dried banana chips for decoration
• For Buttercream
• 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
• 1 pound confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder I like Nestle
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4` cup milk, half and half or cream
• chocolate banana cupcakes

INSTRUCTIONS
For Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and buttermilk powder.
3. In a medium bowl, beat banana and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and beat until combined. Beat in vegetable oil, vanilla and water.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Stir until just combined. Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into 16 muffin papers in a cupcake pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
6. ..................................

for full recipes please see : www.bakersbrigade.com