Christmas Tree Cupcakes (Banana Bread & Coconut)

As promised...a recipe for banana bread christmas tree cupcakes with coconut buttercream for those crazy people like my boyfriend who don't like choc mint! 

Banana Bread Cupcakes
As seen in The Velvet Underground Banana Bread 

125g unsalted butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon milk

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer.
• Spoon mixture into a cupcake baking pan (I used a mini cupcake pan).
• Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Insert a skewer; if it comes out clean...they're done!
• Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack.

Makes 48 mini cupcakes or 24 regular sized cupcakes.

Coconut Buttercream

125g unsalted butter (softened)

2-3 cups icing sugar (sifted)

1 teaspoon coconut essence

• Beat the butter using an electric mixer until fluffy and pale.
• Add the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time. Beat after each addition. You can adjust the amount of icing sugar according to your own taste.
• Add the coconut essence and beat until combined.
• Attach a star shaped nozzle to a piping bag and fill the bag with the coconut buttercream.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, carefully pipe the buttercream on top. Start from the outside edges of the cupcake and move around in a circle. As you go around pull the bag up so you get a tall christmas tree.
• Decorate the trees with sprinkles. I used cachous and tiny yellow stars.

Merry Christmas! Na xo