chocolate banana cupcakes

I think I'm going to hold a seminar on cake manifestation. It's easy to manifest it in your own kitchen by your own hands, but when you go out into the world and people just hand you cake? That is some powerful stuff happening. This is what transpired in my life this past weekend. There was cake everywhere I went. And who was I to turn it down since I MANIFESTED IT?! That would be like slapping the Universe in the face. So I just asked for extra frosting. 

Then I woke up this fine Monday morning (avec giant cake hangover) to find an audition appointment in my email inbox for a role that would require donning a bikini. I didn't much appreciate manifesting THAT after all the cake I drew into my experience. There are some things at cross-purposes here. Some mixed messages that need sorting out. (Note to self: take cake off vision board)

Let's pretend that YOU need some cake. And now here you are reading this post!! And so essentially I am a conduit in your cake manifestation circuit!! You know what? You're welcome. Be excited if you aren't planning on slipping on a bikini any time soon because these chocolate banana beauties are SO GOOD! Or hell, throw caution to the wind and eat one of these while IN your bikini. That's what I'm doing right now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes
recipe adapted just slightly from love and olive oil
makes 12

These are crazy good. Next time you have a freckly banana hanging around, mix it with tons of chocolate and put it to good use. There's banana in the frosting too, which can only be good news.

1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
1 super ripe banana
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/8 t cinnamon

Frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 super ripe banana
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare your muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mash the banana with a fork and then whisk in the almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla, sugar and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon and mix to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just incorporated, taking care not to overmix. Divvy up the batter between 12 cupcake tins, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack.

For the frosting, cream the butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the banana and mix well to combine. Add the cocoa powder and then gradually incorporate the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well in between additions and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and salt. Beat for 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with a slice of banana if desired. (I went a little freestyle with mine (read: kamikaze) but here is a great how-to post about creating piping that looks totes profesh:))

xoxo
jolie