Island Bananas Foster Cupcakes

I'll probably be making a lot of cupcake in the next few weeks, because I'm making the cupcakes for my sisters wedding. So that means I have till April 1st to find some really awesome beachy cupcake recipes. I made these the other night for my hubbies birthday, and they turned out so good!! It's a light coconut cupcake with that yummy banana sauce. The recipe says just to use all purpose flour, but anytime I make a cake from scratch at home with all purpose they come off a little heavy, and since a cupcake is kind of suppose to be light an fluffy I think it is better to use cake flour. Or you can put half all purpose flour and half self rising flour, which is usually what I do. So in this case, it would be 1 cup all purpose flour, and 1 cup self rising flour. Other then that, this cupcake recipe was so yummy. A definite must try!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup rum or unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 recipe Bananas Foster Topping
• Whipped cream
• shredded coconut, lightly toasted (optional)

Directions

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line twenty-four 2 1/2 inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and coconut milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in the 3/4 cup coconut and the rum, or additional coconut milk if desired.

Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.

Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

Spoon Bananas Foster Topping onto cupcakes. If desired, pipe whipped cream onto cupcakes and sprinkle with additional coconut.

Bananas Foster Topping

In a large skillet melt 1/3 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and if desired, 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg. Add 3 bananas, sliced; toss gently to coat. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until bananas are heated through. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat 1/4 cup rum (or unsweetened coconut milk) over low heat just until rum almost simmers; remove from heat. If using rum, use a long match to carefully ignite the rum, if desired. For safety, keep face and hands away from ignited rum in saucepan. Leave on unlit stove burner until flame dies down. Once the flame dies down, pour rum/coconut milk into banana mixture. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; stir gently to combine.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications- Cupcakes