BANANA CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTINGMakes 12 cupcakes

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (not margarine) at room temperature
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Position rack in the center of your oven.
Line a standard 12 cup cupcake tin with liners.
Sift baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork til smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla into the bananas.
With an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl til creamy, light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
Add the egg and egg yolk and beat only til well blended.
Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana/sour cream mixture in 2 additions ending with flour mixture. (Flour, bananas, flour, bananas, flour) beating after each addition ONLY til blended. Add chopped nuts and mix into the batter with a fork.
Place a generous 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake cup and bake for 16 minutes or til toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check at 15 minutes.
Let cool on rack for at least 1 hour before frosting.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1/2 cup butter (not margarine) softened to room temperature
2 2/3 cup sifted confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1/3 cup half and half (for richer frosting use whipping or heavy cream)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for light chocolate flavor ( I use Hershey's Special Dark chocolate) OR
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for dark chocolate flavor
Cream the butter in a medium bowl. Blend in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla alternating with the cream. Beat with an electric mixer til desired consistancy is achieved.

NOTE: If you use the 3/4 cup amount of cocoa powder, add an additional 1 Tbsp. of cream .