Banana cupcakes with lemon icing

I've been busy! Busy with other stuff, not with updating my blog. But here is a recipe for a delicious dessert that can hold its own during any season. The banana cupcakes are fall-ish but with the lemon frosting they instantly become summery. They're easy to make and the recipe comes from Chloe's Kitchen. You can make the cupcakes ahead of time and pop them in the fridge or freezer- just thaw before frosting and frost them just before eating. I think these cupcakes would also make a lovely cake with lemon glaze. Maybe I'll do that next time. The recipe says it makes 18 cupcakes but I just made 12 and then a mini cake which I snacked on while I was cooking other things. I also filled the cupcake liners more than normal so they were fuller cupcakes. Feel free to make 18 though.

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup mashed bananas, from approximately 2 very ripe bananas mashed on a plate using the back of a fork.

1 cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

Icing Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 tsp lemon juice

1 Tbs water

1/4-1 tsp lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a cupcake pan with liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. In a separate bowl, whisk together banana, coconut milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

4. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted int he center of a cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

To make the icing:

Whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, water and zest in a small bowl until smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes:

Spread a thin layer of the lemon icing over each cupcake.