Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Caramel Drizzle

April showers will hopefully bring an onset of flowers come May. But for now, these April showers have seemed to bring a surplus of baked goods in my household. These rainy days have left us all cooped up inside, unable to enjoy the springtime temperatures, and what is there to do when stuck inside on a rainy day? Bake cupcakes, of course. And it just so happend I have the perfect recipe to fill your next rainy day with. And although the recipe has a few more steps than usual, the extra time is worth it.These cupcakes are dense and decadent with the addition of fluffy cream cheese frosting and sweet caramel drizzle. Bake, Eat, Enjoy.

Ingredients: Makes 18 cupcakes

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 3 mashed ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup lowfat buttermilk

Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Frosting:

• 8 tablespoons cream cheese
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 teaspoons caramel topping

Preparation:

1. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; beat in canola oil
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt & apple pie spice together
4. In a smaller bowl, mash bananas until smooth and stir in vanilla & buttermilk
5. Alternate adding banana mixture and dry ingredients to butter mixture with electric mixer at a low speed
6.  Divide batter into cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 25 minutes
7. For the simple syrup, combine water & sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil; once you have reached a boil, reduce to a simmer and keep on heat until sugar has dissolved completely
8. Once cupcakes have cooled, prick tops with a fork and then brush with simple syrup
9. For frosting, beat softened cream cheese & butter together until light & fluffy; slowly add in powdered sugar & vanilla until well incorporated
10. Frost cupcakes or use a piping bag, then drizzle with some caramel topping