Recipes: Art Smith's Banana Peanut Butter Cupcake
Ingredients
(makes 12 cupcakes)
For the cupcakes:
12 standard paper cupcake liners
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
11/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup milk
vegetable-oil spray
For the frosting:
11/3 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk, as needed
Directions
1. Position a rack in the center of the
oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat the muffin cups with vegetableoil
spray. Place paper cupcake liners
in the cups.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder
and salt together in a medium bowl.
Set aside.
3. Mix the vegetable shortening and
peanut butter in a medium bowl with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add
the brown sugar and beat until pale
and crumbly, about two minutes. Add
the eggs one at a time, beating well
after each addition. Add the vanilla
and beat in the mashed banana.
Reduce speed to low. Add the milk
and the flour mixture, alternating one
after the other in small amounts until
thoroughly mixed in.
4. Using an ice cream scoop or ladle,
divide the cupcake mixture among the
muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick
inserted in the center of one comes out
clean, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
5. Meanwhile, beat the peanut butter
with an electric mixer on low speed for
15 seconds. Gradually add the sugar
until crumbly. Beat in the vanilla and
gradually add in enough milk to make
a thick frosting. Spread the frosting
over the cupcakes. (Frosting can be
made a day ahead. Cover and store at
room temperature.)
From Art Smith's Kitchen Life, $13, amazon.com
