...I needed a hobby

I got laid off in December and have yet to find a job. As job hunting constantly gets old quickly, I needed a second hobby. I started baking here and there because my boyfriend is a sugar-holic and it gave me something to do. Now that I'm deciding that I like it, I'm considering taking cake decorating classes and I'm collecting people's favorite recipes and websites.

Yesterday I tried out a cupcake recipe from my friend Dan's girlfriend, Shannon. (see her blog at: www.icanhascupcake.blogspot.com) I know I'm going to get yelled at for this, but I didn't eat any of my creation. I heard the cupcakes came out phenomenal though, so yippee for me.

Nutella filled - Banana cupcakes w/ Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes: 18-24 mini cupcakes

Banana Buttermilk Cake
3/4 C. white sugar, divided
1/2 C. ripe banana
1/4 C. soft butter
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temp.
1 C. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 C. buttermilk, room temp.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Frosting
1 3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/2 C. (4oz.) soft cream cheese
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 C. chopped Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bar

Preheat oven to 350 and position rack in middle. Place paper liners in cupcake pan and spray all over with nonstick spray. Mash banana with 1/4 C. sugar in a small bowl, set aside. In stand mixer, cream together 1/2 C. sugar, butter, and vanilla with paddle attachment on medium speed until just incorporated. Scrape bowl with spatula all the way to the bottom to be sure everything is mixed evenly between adding new ingredients. Next, on the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the banana and mix until just incorporated. Whisk together the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl, and add to the mixer on a low speed, alternately with the buttermilk. Scrape entire bowl once more and mix only until just combined. Spoon batter into cupcake liners until each one is about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 6 minutes, rotate pans, and bake another 6 minutes. Test cake with a tooth pick, only very little crumb is perfect doneness. It should still be light in color and slightly moist, yet firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container until ready to fill & frost.

To fill cupcakes, you will need to get a pastry bag or heavy duty ziploc bag to pipe the nutella into the cupcakes. Punch a hole into the center of the cupcakes using a chopstick, and have a small bowl of white sugar to dip the chopstick in between cupcakes as not to ruin the crown of the cupcake pulling the chopstick out (one after the other, the chopstick gets a little sticky and the sugar helps prevent that). Spoon about 1/2 C. of Nutella hazelnut spread in a small dish and microwave 15-30 seconds. Spoon into pastry bag and place the tip into the bottom of each cupcake, pulling up as you squeeze.

Finally, the frosting is very simple. Make sure to sift your powdered sugar, and that your cream cheese is at room temp. First mix cream cheese, then add sugar, then vanilla with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer. fold in chocolate with a rubber spatula. Use a pastry bag or heavy duty ziploc bag to pipe frosting onto cupcakes in a rosette. Garnish with a chunk of chocolate on top.