Butterfly Banana Cupcake

Ingredients

        FOR THE CUPCAKES:
        2 teaspoons baking powder
    2 cups all-purpose flour
        1/4 teaspoon salt
        1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
        1-1/3 cups sugar
        2 eggs
        1 teaspoon vanilla extract
        3/4 cup milk
        2 ripe bananas
        Assorted decorations: decorators' icing, gumdrops, string
       
    FOR THE FROSTING:
        3 cups confectioners' sugar
        1 8-ounce package cream cheese
        1 teaspoon vanilla extract
        Food coloring

Method

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups. Use a dry measuring cup to measure the flour, then pour it into a small mixing bowl. Stir the baking powder and salt into the flour and set aside. (Tip: To measure flour precisely, your child should hold the full cup over her canister of flour and use the flat edge of a knife to level off the flour.)

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and stir in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stirring well after each addition. Peel the bananas, place them in a separate small bowl, and have your child use a fork to mash them until smooth. Measure out 1 cup of mashed banana. Fold it into the cupcake batter until thoroughly combined.

Fill each muffin cup three quarters full. (You will have some excess batter.) Wipe off any spills with a paper towel. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of one comes out clean. Cool in the muffin tin for 15 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a plate.