Day 161 – Elvis Cupcakes

So, my hubby has this theory.  It really only applies to the die-hard fans.  But here it is.

He believes that people pick sides when it comes to music.  As in.  Elvis OR The Beatles.  Die-hard fans can only love one of them.  Now, that doesn’t mean you despise the other.  You just don’t necessarily care for them.  What do you think?

Elvis?  The Beatles?  Or are you the rare person who loves both?  Or neither??

This theory happens to apply in our house.  I’m a die-hard Beatles fan.  He loves The King.  So, there ya go.

Either way, today we are all gonna be Elvis fans.  Because, today is The King’s Birthday!  So, let’s celebrate what would be his 79th birthday with these Elvis Cupcakes (recipe below from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen).

    

The cupcakes are sticky and moist. Pretty light and airy.  Sweet, sweet banana flavor. Wow! A punch of sugary banana. I know that doesn’t sound good, but I don’t mean it as a bad thing. I’m just surprised at how strong the flavor is!

    

The peanut butter frosting is light, soft and sugary. Because the cupcakes are so tender, I actually frosted them with my fingers. The PB frosting shapes nicely if you just use your hands.  It has a nice sweet, peanut butter flavor. Not overly sweet or overly peanut-y, which is nice.

The marshmallow frosting is fluffy and smooth and gooey.  It has a very strong vanilla flavor, thanks to the vanilla paste.  So, more like a vanilla marshmallow.

     

These are so interesting. Each piece has a very distinct, very strong flavor. Yet, when they are all piled on top of one another, it blends so well. You get sweet, banana, peanut butter, vanilla and just that little crunch and salt from the bacon. But it’s extremely well-balanced.

    

Elvis would have enjoyed this, I’m sure of it!

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 4.5 (for the both of them!)

• Overall Taste: 4.5

• Appearance: 4.5 (it’s so cute with all its layers)

• Ease of Making: 3 (2 frostings + bacon – not super hard, but time-consuming)

• TOTAL: 20

RECIPE

Elvis Cupcakes (recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Banana Cupcakes:

• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Peanut Butter Maple Frosting:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, slightly softened
• 2 teaspoons maple extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Vanilla Bean Marshmallow:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 12 slices bacon, cooked and broken into pieces

For directions visit Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

*Tomorrow: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcakes*