Banana Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe is the exact same as the Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes, but instead I used banana instead of strawberry. The cupcakes came out amazing with a lot of compliments!

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

Since I've found my "indestructible" chocolate cupcake recipe, I've been wanting to play around with it and see what I can do. Strawberries are definitely in season and go well with chocolate, I decided to try a Chocolate Strawberry concoction! I had to add more flour and baking powder to make sure the cake rised correctly. The first batch, I didn't think to add flour and baking powder, so they came out deflated. The second batch, I did add the extra ingredients and it came out marvelously! The cupcake batter needs to be rather thick, not runny. If it's too runny, add some more flour and rising agent.

The frosting on the other hand.... I talked it over with my mom, and she said to use just the juice, not the whole fruit, because the fruit would continue to leak juices, making the frosting fall apart. This is a necessary part of the frosting!! Instead of the milk in the frosting, use the strawberry juice. If you want chocolate frosting, just add 1/4 - 1/2 C of Dutch Cocoa Powder, to taste. The frosting came out amazing!! Please see the note at the bottom of the recipe in regards to the frosting.

Em's Birthday Cupcakes

My niece turned seven and wanted cupcakes for her birthday party, which was at the local city zoo. I asked her what she wanted, and she said she wanted Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting. This was easy. I used my vanilla cupcake recipe and my chocolate frosting recipe. And she wanted sprinkles. Easy Peasy. One problem: It was extremely hot that day and the cupcakes would be sitting in the car while we were enjoying our time at the zoo. It was actually an easy fix! We filled the bottom layer of my cupcake carrier with ice and dry ice and left the carrier in the trunk of the car, in the shade. By the time cupcakes were served, the frosting wasn't melted, and the cupcakes were actually a bit cool, which was rather refreshing on the hot day! I won't paste the recipe, but here's a photo! Enjoy!