Hummingbird Cupcakes with Dried Pineapple Flowers

(please excuse the iphone quality photo)

As I was baking these beauties on a late-night whim

and talking to my sister on the phone,

she exclaimed- "Hummingbird cupcakes?! That sounds gross!"

Well, have no fear ladies and gents.

No hummingbirds were harmed in the making of these cakes!

I made these for one of my students' 18th birthday

and since not all of my students are chocoholics like me

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test out this cake in cupcake form!

In the past, I've used this recipe from Southern Living and it received rave reviews

(but unfortunately both times I made it, I didn't get to try it!)

But this time I turned to my trusted source for all things delicious- Annie's Eats

The cake is deliciously moist

with bursts of refreshing banana and pineapple flavor 

and a perfect creamy cream cheese frosting.

It's perfect for celebrating spring time

and would also make a lovely addition at any bridal or baby shower!

What You'll Need:

For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted 

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk together and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until blended and smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in the mashed banana.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the pineapple and nuts with a spatula until evenly mixed.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. 

Note- I made half of the cake recipe and the whole frosting recipe. If you love frosting as much as I do, you might increase your frosting recipe a little!

Now, the pineapple flower garnish is completely edible 

(pretty delish actually) and super simple to make!

Mine don't look too stellar because I did not leave myself enough time to let them set...  but even without being perfect they added a lot to the presentation of the cupcakes!

What You'll Need:

a fresh pineapple

What To Do:

• Cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, using a large knife. 
• Slicing down, cut off the rind of the pineapple leaving just the fruit. 
• Pop out any remaining seeds or peel.
• Slice the remaining fruit into very thin rounds. (This is definitely the hardest part!)

• Lay rounds onto a baking sheet (line with parchment paper or a baking mat if desired) and bake at 225 for 30 minutes. Flip rounds a bake for another 30 minutes. 

• Watch the fruit carefully so it doesn't burn! It will be ready when the edges brown and they have dried out almost completely. 

• Set each piece in the round of a muffin tin to help it form a flower shape. They may need to sit for several hours to retain the shape. ( I skipped this step due to time restriants)
• Top your frosted cupcakes with a dried pineapple flower for added flair!