Hummingbird Cupcakes

Have I ever shared my undying love of cupcakes? I'm only kidding, I know my cupcake obsession is a little too hard to hide. It has been going strong for years now, long before they were ever "trendy".

I dream up cupcake flavors in my spare time. I wear cupcake jewelry. I sport cupcake shirts. I even bake cupcakes in...wait for it...a cupcake apron!

I stop at every cupcake shop in every.single.city that we visit.



I better go on to tell you about these awesome cupcakes before you write me off as totally cupcake obsessed crazy and stop reading.

We loved these cupcakes! I found them over at Annie's Eats and knew I HAD to make them asap...and that I did.

Banana, pineapple, and coconut are combined to make the most delicious, fruity, springy cupcake imaginable. It is a denser cake that reminded me a lot of a carrot cake texture. All that wonderful fruitiness is topped off with a delicious cream cheese icing.

They would be absolutely perfect for your Easter celebration!



Yield: approximately 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until blended and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the mashed banana. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Gently fold in the pineapple, nuts (if using), and coconut with a spatula until evenly mixed.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.


Recipe Credit: Annie's Eats

Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I in our house, I take care of all of the indoor cooking and Daniel is responsible for the outdoor cooking. Last year Daniel purchased a new grill and I decided that a great birthday gift for him would be Weber's Way to Grill: The Step-by-Step Guide to Expert Grilling (Sunset Books)<. I know, I am the cookbook queen, but I feel like everyone needs at least a couple to call their own!

This is one of the recipes from the cookbook. I can't tell you how good this was...I think we ate the whole thing in one sitting...or close to it! No offense to all of you pineapple upside down lovers, but 9.5 times out of 10 I will pass on it...I just hate the canned pineapple taste! I kindly bought the ingredients even though I was highly sceptical of the recipe.

One bite and it changed my opinion of this old dessert! The fresh pineapple really did wonders for it. That and the brown sugar caramelizes in the cast iron skillet...this is really a must try!!!

Topping:
6 rings fresh pineapple, each 1/2" thick
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Batter:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Brush the pineapple rings with the melted butter. Grill them over direct medium heat, with the lid open, until nicely marked, 4-6 minutes, turning once. Remover from the grill and let cool. Leave one pineapple ring whole and cut the others into halves.

In a 12 inch cast iron skillet over direct medium heat, combine the brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, and any melted butter remaining from brushing the pineapple slices. Cook until the sugar has melted and liquid starts to bubble around the outer edge, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and pace on a sheet pan. Place the whole pineapple ring in the center of the skillet, and then arrange the pineapple halves around it. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a small bowl whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 2-4 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk mixture and then gradually add the flour mixture. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet.

Bake the cake over indirect medium heat, keeping the temperature of the grill as close to 350 degrees as possible, with the lid closed, until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Remove the cake from the grill and let cool for 10 minutes.

Before removing the cake from the skillet, run a paring knife around the edge to loosen. Place a serving platter over top of the skillet. Wearing insulated barbeque mitts, carefully invert the skillet and platter at the same time, and then slowly remove the skillet. Replace any pineapple that stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Let the cake cool briefly before slicing.