Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting 1

When Bryan and I are craving for cake, we usually go to SusieCakes. SusieCakes make really moist and not too sweet cakes. Other than whole cakes and cupcakes, they also sell sliced cakes. Their old-fashioned 6-layer chocolate sliced cake can feed a good 4 people (or 2 of us for 2 nights). Divine! Each month, SusieCakes have a few items for featured flavors. Last month, their cupcake featured flavor was banana chocolate chip. I was hoping to grab some, but didn’t have a chance. When I saw ripe bananas on my counter, I know what I need to make.

I am so thankful to find this recipe from Bakers Royale. These cupcakes are made with shortening and evaporated milk. I hesitated for a moment, because I am not sure what cupcakes are like without butter and regular milk. But I ended up making them and I was in a good surprise. The cupcakes were super moist. When you took a bite, the banana flavor came through. Then, there were the crunchy chocolate chips. For the frosting, I made a good old cream cheese frosting. It was slighty sweet and slighty savory that paired the cupcakes well. These are some heavenly cupcakes! I can say endless good things about them, so I urge you to make them. And I promise your families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers will thank you again and again.

On a side note, if you live in North America, did you catch the rare “blood moon” lunar eclipse on Monday night or Tuesday morning? It happened around midnight in Los Angeles. Even though it passed our regular bed time, we stayed up for it. It was really stunning and pretty!  Bryan was able to get some nice shots. Totally worth it! If you missed it this time, the next one is coming up in October.

Blood Moon
Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Adapted from Bakers Royale & Joy of Baking)

18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

–   1ΒΎ cup all-purpose flour

–   1ΒΌ cup sugar

–   1 tablespoon baking powder

–   Β½ teaspoon salt

–   Β½ cup soft shortening

–   ΒΎ cup ripe bananas (mashed, about 2 medium)

–   1/3 cup evaporated milk

–   2 teaspoons vanilla extract

–   2 eggs

–   6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting:

–   8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

–   Β½ teaspoon vanilla extract

–   Β½ cup powdered sugar

–   2/3 cup heavy cream (cold)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Line two muffin pans with 18 paper liners.
  2. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening, mashed bananas, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and eggs. Beat on medium until blended. Once it is blended, beat for another 3 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
  3. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners about ΒΎ filled. Bake in the oven for 20 – 22 minutes. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. The toothpick should come out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and cool completely.
  4. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract at low-speed until combined. Add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to use. Frost and decorate the cupcakes.

Tips:

  1. Use ripe bananas! Not only spotted, but pretty brown all over on the skin. If your bananas are not ripe, try this method.
  2. I didn’t put much frosting on each of my cupcakes, so the amount of frosting was enough for me. If you love a lot of frosting, you may want to double it.
  3. For storage, keep the cupcakes in a container in the fridge for a few days. Let them get back to room temperature before eating.

Source: Read & Read