chocolate banana cupcakes with buttercream frosting

Next in my little tea-series are mini cupcakes!

While I think that tea, sandwiches and scones are the most essential part of a tea party, mini bite-sized cupcakes are a great thing to have if you have extra time to make them. They're a great compliment to the savory sandwiches and are a nice sweet treat to enjoy with your tea. They're also adorable and another lovely way to decorate the table. I chose banana chocolate cupcakes because subtle banana flavors really compliment rich chocolate, but you can use whichever mini cupcake is your favorite to add to your menu.

banana chocolate cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2-3 bananas, mashed
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup butter
1/2 shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
your favorite food coloring color

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients until well mixed. Add wet to dry ingredients until combined. The batter will be very thin, so I recommend using a deep spoon or muffin scoop when putting the batter in the tins. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes (this is for mini muffins) or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely.

In a cold mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually add the shortening. Once combined, add the sugar slowly, one 1/2 cup at a time. If the frosting is really think, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it out a little bit. Once combined, add 2-3 drops of your favorite food coloring color to give the frosting a fun spin. Pipe/spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and serve!