Recipe: Dairy Free Banana Cupcakes (with or without dairy free frosting)

I found a recipe for banana cupcakes that my family and I love. They taste a lot like banana bread/ banana muffins if you leave the frosting off, or for added flavor you can make fruit frosting to match your taste preference!

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) earth balance, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon caramel extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and caramel. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix).
5. Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

(recipe for the banana cupcakes was borrowed from here: Banana cupcake recipe)

For the frosting:

1/3 cup Spectrum all vegetable shortening at room temperature (I use dairy free butter)

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons fruit preserves or nectar (I used fruit nectar the first time I made these and it didn't give the frosting much taste)

Optional - gluten-free sprinkles OR slices of banana to decorate

While cupcakes are cooling make frosting. Place shortening, powdered sugar, fruit nectar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer and beat on high until frosting is smooth, creamy and spreadable. If frosting seems too thick, add more fruit nectar, one teaspoon at a time, until it is a spreadable consistency.
When cupcakes are completely cool, frost cupcakes. Decorate with gluten-free sprinkles or banana slices - optional.

The recipe for the frosting was pulled and edited from here: Diary free banana cupcakes from a box with fruit nectar frosting)

Happy Baking!