Banana Pudding Cupcakes

So finally, another batch of cupcakes. I have to admit, I kind of miss the colorful, fun cupcakes I was making for graduations, birthdays and parties. But I am trying to expand my flavors and today I went with an old favorite, Banana Pudding! Kevin loves banana pudding and he is actually the one who usually makes it. He had the patience to stir and stir and stir.... Me, not so much. But I was determined to turn this family favorite into a cupcake. I made a plain vanilla cupcake but added a bit of banana extract (against my better judgment) and two mashed bananas. The cupcakes turned out good but even with the addition of the bananas and the extract it still didn't taste very much like banana. On to the pudding. I made some vanilla pudding. I love homemade banana pudding! It takes a while but is so worth it! After the pudding chilled and the cupcakes cooled, I hollowed out a hole in the middle of the cupcakes and filled them with the pudding. Yummy! Then a slice of banana and a little buttercream frosting topped with a vanilla wafer. Cute and tasty. Okay, I must admit, banana pudding in a bowl with lots of bananas and lots of vanilla wafers and delicious creamy pudding is hard to beat but these came close!

From "Pie in the Sky," by Susan Purdy. The book includes instructions for five different elevations. This 5,000-foot recipe works well at 5,280 feet.

Ingredients
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups minus 1 tablespoon sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat in the eggs 2 or 3 at a time, along with the vanilla, beating well to blend, then scrape down bowl and beater again. Don't worry if the batter looks curdled — the flour will bring it together.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Once the batter is blended together, increase the speed and beat for about a minute until smooth and creamy.

At this point I added the 2 mashed bananas and 1 teaspoon of banana extract.