As a kid, every summer, we'd make our annual retreat to Delaware shore, staying in the same house, sleeping in the same bunk bed each time. The days were spent on the beach bogie boarding, reading and trying to stay one step ahead of sun poisoning - a challenge for a fair skinned kid. The evenings were spent roaming the boardwalk (only after Mom covered me with a good layer of Noxema to ease the days' sunburn.) Never a fan of rides or games, my favorite boardwalk attraction was Spin Art. Night after night after night, I'd create 4" x 5" masterpieces. For as long as I was allowed to linger with the spinning art board and squeeze bottles of paints, I would perfect my technique, mingling colors and splatters. Finally the attendant would flip the switch, turning off the dizzying easel and carefully place my work into a cardboard frame to dry.Drunk from the fumes of the Spin Art paint combined with Noxema and salt air we'd head down the boardwalk for ice cream. I'd opt out the traditional cone, going for a frozen banana, a delicacy only found at the beach in the early 70's. The bananas were frozen so hard the first bite would make my teeth ache and by the end the thawed fruit was a mushy chocolate-y mess. I had to be very careful to preserve the art work, not dripping any banana goo into the tacky paint.
This week's cupcake is a nod to the beach's frozen treat. I roasted the bananas to caramelize the sugars and enhance the flavor, this paid off with a deeper flavor and more subtle texture. I topped the cupcake with a fudge frosting created with five kinds of chocolate, I added a drizzle of caramel, Spin Art style, and sprinkle of nuts. But no Noxema in the air. I'm much more careful in the sun these days.
This was a simple swap in your standard yellow cupcake, replace some or all of the liquid for the following:
1 c sour cream
1/4 c oil
1 c roasted banana (place two banana's in peel on cookie sheet, roast at 350 for 10 minutes. Skins will turn black; allow to cool, peel and mash)
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