Banana Beer Nutella Cupcakes

What goes better with bananas than Nutella?  Apparently beer!  When I found Well's Banana Bread Beer for the first time the other day, I knew it was asking to be baked into something delicious.  Banana bread itself seemed the too obvious a choice for my new found friend (though don't think I won't be trying it), so I decided to bake it into some cupcakes.  And to top it all off, Nutella cream cheese frosting makes the perfect pairing.  As you can see in the photos, this recipe came together in progress.  I mean, for goodness sake, I almost forgot to add chocolate chips!  I hope this inspires you to experiment with recipes on your own.


Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup banana bread beer*
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup Nutella

_{Scoochmaroo is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.}


Directions

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
2. Line 12 muffin cups with papers.
3. Whisk or sift together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes
5. Turn down mixer speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing completely after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.
6. Add 1/3 of the flour, then milk, then 1/3 flour, then beer, then 1/3 flour, then bananas and chocolate chips, mixing well after each addition. 
7. Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake 20-30 minutes until done.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool in tins for 5 minutes, then continue to cool on baking rack.

Frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl. beat cream cheese, butter, and Nutella until light and fluffy. 
2. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix on high until well combined.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. When the cupcakes are cool enough, frost with a knife of piping bag fitted with decorative tip.
5. Add a dried banana slice or hazelnut to the frosting for extra flair.

Enjoy!