Hydrangea Cupcakes

“There are always flowers for  those who want to see them.”

…or frost them on cupcakes!

Hello Friends! It has been way too long since I’ve posted, and I apologize. Sometimes time just gets away from you! I owe you all many recipes, so let’s get started with this one!

Banana flavored desserts are always a favorite of mine, and these banana-blueberry cupcakes add that perfect banana flavor without too much banana punch – I think the blueberries help give it a fresh kick too! The frosting is super sweet and yummy and goes well with the fruit flavors.

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers, so why not have them in cupcake form? Hope you enjoy!

Mini Banana-blueberry Cupcakes

2.5 cups  flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 and 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup champagne

3/4 cup milk +1 tsp. white vinegar (let stand 15 mins) or ¾ cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 over-ripe bananas, mashed

2 handfuls fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine vegetable oil, champagne, milk+ vinegar mixture or buttermilk, eggs, and bananas – and mix just until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients, except for blueberries. In 4 parts, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing in between. Add lightly floured blueberries (the flour helps them not sink to the bottom) towards the end and mix until evenly combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12  minutes (for mini cupcakes) or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before adding the frosting.

Hydrangea Frosting

1/2 cup butter

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

4.5 cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp heavy cream

pastel pink food coloring

Place butter in stand mixer and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth.
Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend until combined. Add the heavy cream and beat until fluffy frosting consistency. Place half of frosting in separate bowl and add food coloring until desired pink is achieved.

Fill sides of piping bag with pink frosting, and inside with white frosting. Use Wilton 2D tip to pipe out hydrangeas, starting at the edges and filling up the middle of the cupcake. Don’t be afraid to overlap the flowers. To pipe hydrangeas, just squeeze bag firmly, then release and lift bag off quickly. Refrigerate cupcakes overnight so the flowers harden a bit for ease of transport (cream cheese frosting can be a bit soft), or enjoy right away!