Sweet-smelling, dense, and moist, these cupcakes don’t really need a frosting—it’s just icing on the cake! And yes, they really do taste good made with olive oil. These cupcakes are good keepers; they stay moist for up to a week.

　　

Ingredients

yields about 20 cupcakes

　　

Wet Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4 bananas)

　　1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

　　1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

　　3 eggs

　　1 teaspoon vanilla

　　1/4 cup plain yogurt

　　

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

　　1 teaspoon baking soda

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　

Coffee or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

　　3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

　　1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

　　2 tablespoons brewed coffee or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare two standard cupcake pans with liners, cooking spray, or butter.

　　

Step 2

With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the wet ingredients until smooth and creamy, a minute or two. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until smooth. Spoon the batter into the cupcake pans, filling each cup about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, mix all of the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy and smooth. Cool the cupcakes for at least 15 minutes and then frost.

　　

Planning tip

Step 4

If you have bananas that are overripe and you don’t have time to bake, pop them unpeeled into the freezer. Later, thaw the bananas for use in a recipe.

　　From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table. Copyright © 2017 by Moosewood Collective. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from ThriftBooks or Amazon.