Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I had a special birthday cake request this weekend: Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.   My mother has a special banana cake cake recipe, and I had been waiting for the right occasion to ask for it.  The recipe is an old classic from Good Housekeeping magazine.    I chose to make cupcakes because they are festive and easy to transport on the subway, but you can also make the recipe in traditional cake pans.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripened bananas (2-3)
2 1/4 cup AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour milk (add 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar to milk to sour)
1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting  (if you're making a layer cake double this recipe)
4 oz cream cheese
2 oz unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Cake:
Cream butter and sugar with beaters.  Add eggs and beat well.  Beat in mashed bananas.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients and milk/vanilla to the banana mixture, alternating.  Beat until well mixed.

Frosting:
Beat butter and cream cheese until they are fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add powdered sugar, beating at a high speed until it is entirely incorporated and fluffy.

Happy Birthday Devin!