Banana Cream Pie and Chocolate Cupcakes

I have two guaranteed winning recipes today. One is from Memaw's Just Plain Cooking cookbook, and the other I found while Googling.

Banana Cream Pie (Memaw's)

3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ripe banana
Dash of salt
1 baked pie shell

Separate eggs. Set aside.
Mix sugar, salt, flour, and milk in saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. Stir constantly to prevent scorching.
Slightly beat egg yolks. Stir in small amount of pudding mixture into egg yolks. Then blend egg yolks into pudding mixture, stirring constantly.
Add butter and cook one minute.
Take off heat and add vanilla. Let mixture cool. Add chopped banana.
Top with meringue and brown quickly in hot oven.

I borrowed the following recipe from Jamie at http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/doctored-up-cake-mix-recipe/. A great recipe for a great cupcake. I used two packages of sugar free pudding mix (one chocolate--5 years passed sell by date!!!and one vanilla-- only 1 year passed sell by date!) and homemade Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream. I used my husband's instant cappuccino instead of the instant espresso. 

These baked up like the best bakery cupcakes, and I will try this again. The Dollar Store cake mix by Betty Crocker is always a winner!

Doctored Up Cake Mix Recipe

YIELD: 24 cupcakes

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 18-22 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix (see note below)
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (see note below)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and espresso water mixture. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.

3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.

5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

For Cakes

Bundt Cake Directions: Pour the batter into a well-greased, 12-cup bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. If desired, drizzle the cooled cake with your favorite recipe for chocolate ganache.

For 2 9-inch Cake Layers: Pour batter evenly between 2 greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Frost cooled cake with your favorite buttercream recipe.

NOTES:

- My favorite Devil's Food Cake is Betty Crocker - Pudding in the mix.
- If you don't have instant espresso granules, you can sub in 1/2 cup warm coffee.
- The espresso in this recipe really just deepens the chocolate flavor, but if you aren't into the whole coffee thing, just use 1/2 cup warm water.
-Updated 8/23/12- Some box mixes have recently reduced in size to around 15 ounces, so I now use a 3.4 ounce package of instant pudding mix as opposed to the larger option.

My Baking Addiction adapted from All Recipes