Recipe Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Organic Valley sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about 3 large ripe bananas)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
For the ganache:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup Organic Valley half and half
For the vanilla cinnamon buttercream frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon Organic Valley half and half
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Coarsely chopped walnuts, for topping
- Freshly sliced bananas, for topping
Recipe Directions
- To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add vanilla, sour cream and mashed banana and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and slowly add the flour mixture, in two additions, until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in pan about 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the chocolate ganache, add the chopped chocolate to a small shallow heatproof bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring half and half to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit undisturbed for 8 minutes. Stir the chocolate chips together with the heavy half and half until smooth. Let ganache sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches a good consistency for glazing the cupcakes.
- To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Turn the mixer down to low speed and gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Add in the half and half, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until incorporated. Turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cupcakes, use a spoon to gently pour a small amount of chocolate ganache onto each cupcake. Let sit for 5 minutes and then pipe frosting onto each cupcake. Garnish with fresh banana slices and chopped walnuts, as desired. Enjoy!
