Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter-Chocolate Frosting

There is a cupcake joint in Seattle (called Cupcake Royale) that features a different fabulous and original cupcake flavor each month. In January there was a cupcake that really caught my attention: the Elvis.

The Elvis was a banana cupcake with a chocolate- peanut butter frosting. If these are the kind of flavors that you like- then you will understand how exciting that was to me! It is based on the famous favorite flavor combo of Elvis Presley.

Anyways this is an attempt at recreating that cupcake. It is a sweet, fluffy banana cupcake, and the frosting is a good mix of creamy peanut butter and chocolate. They are topped with a crispy banana chip for color and crunch!

Banana Cupcakes, makes 12
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups banana chunks

Peanut Butter–Chocolate Frosting
½ cup soft butter
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
½ cup peanut butter
2 oz dark, unsweetened chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar.

Add the eggs and the vanilla and cream until combined,

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients and partially mix.
Add the banana chunks and beat everything on high until you have a smooth batter.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins.

Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until they are just baked through and fluffy.

Let them cool completely on a rack before frosting.

To make the frosting, combine the butter, sugar and milk in the bowl of a standing mixer.

Combine and then add the peanut butter and the chocolate and whip to a creamy frosting.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave and add to the frosting when it has cooled. Whip until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and garnish with a banana chip.

Enjoy