Hummingbird Cupcakes

For The Cupcakes…

• 5 ½ ounces cake flour
• 5 ½ ounces super fine sugar
• 6 ounces unsalted butter softened
• 3 large lightly beaten eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ounces mashed ripe bananas
• 2 ounces grated carrot
• 2 ounces tinned crushed pineapple
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

For The Cream Cheese Icing…

• 1 ounce unsalted butter softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For The Topping…

• 1 Packet of Whole Pecan Nuts
• 1 Packet of Crushed Pecan Nuts

Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C) and prepare 12 paper cupcake cases in muffin tins.
Place softened butter and sugar into a bowl and cream with an electric mixer until the butter changes
colour. (generally 2 minutes)

Add in lightly beaten eggs to the mix a little at a time, beating on slow for 15 seconds between each
addition. Add Vanilla then sift in flour and baking powder and mix for a further minute.
Stir in banana, carrot, pineapple and orange zest, then spoon batter into cases until they are approx 2/3rds
full and then place in the middle rack in your preheated oven.

Bake for approx 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, then remove and let sit for a few
minutes before removing the cupcakes from the tins and placing them on a wire rack to cool.

To make cream cheese icing, add softened cream cheese and butter to a bowl, along with powdered sugar
and orange juice and mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Cover cupcakes with cream cheese icing, and then using a piping bag with a start tip pipe a small swirl of
icing in the center of each cake.

Place a single pecan nut on the center of each cake, then chop the remaining pecans and sprinkle around
the outside of each cupcake.

These types of cupcakes are more likely to be preffered by adults rather than children becasue they contain nuts and are not as catchy looking as a princess cupcake. Also make sure that you read the ingredients carefully and make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Some of the ingredients might be hard to find at stores such as walmart but they should be at grocery stores.