Page 141 Roasted Banana Cupcakes

"Roasting the fruit before folding it into the batter gives these cupcakes a pronounced banana flavor and keeps them very moist. Honey, paired with bananas, is added to the frosting." -Martha

I had never heard of roasting bananas before; I was anxious to give it a try. I placed the bananas on a small cookie sheet and placed them in the 400 degree oven for the 20 minutes Martha suggests. I was surprised to see the fruit seeping with a syrupy liquid that was beginning to fill the pan. The recipe says to fold in the bananas at the end of the mixing process and that's where my confusion began. I had this wonderfully fragrant syrup that I was not sure what to do with it. Was this flavorful liquid something that was going to enhance the batter? Should I add it or leave it in the pan? Surely, Martha would know that the bananas weep when roasted? She doesn't say what to do.

I made the decision to not add the syrup to the batter but I did save the banana syrup to put into the frosting. Why not, right? I added an extra banana to the batter hoping to get a flavor boost, and in retrospect it may have been too much: not flavor, but pulp. The cupcakes, albeit very tasty, were not as fluffy as I thought they should be. The texture was almost chewy and I attribute that to the extra banana. (When I have made banana bread in the past, I always add an extra piece of fruit for flavor and it has always been a great decision. This time, not so much!)

I also decided against the choice of cinnamon buttercream frosting suggested by Martha, because I chose to go with a "Banana Pie" idea so I made a meringue top flavored with that syrup that weeped from my roasted bananas. It was pretty darn good! I also placed a banana slice on top of the cupcake before AND after I iced it then I toasted the meringue...can't get enough banana!