Cocoa-Banana Cupcakes

My sister was in town and came over to see Abby and Lizzy. I wanted something to celebrate that I could serve to my child in the middle of the afternoon without feeling guilty. These are fabulous, and you will never guess that the cupcake is virtually fat-free. (The frosting is not so much fat-free, but at least it has banana in it!)

Cocoa-Banana Cupcakes

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes (I think)

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk (or soy milk, rice milk, etc.)
1/2 cup well-mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 banana, mashed very smooth
1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp butter (or shortening)
salt (optional, to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, banana, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean (note: I had to bake these in my toaster oven, where they took about 30 minutes. My toaster oven is slow, so I am guessing they would be less time in a real oven. I'll try to revisit this recipe when I have a real oven, but in the meantime, just keep an eye on them).

Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Using an electric mixer, whisk the butter, banana, and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar together for several minutes, until frosting is light and fluffy. Add additional sugar as needed to achieve a suitable consistency for frosting. Add salt as desired to taste.