Friday Favorites - 1st Birthday Cake/Cupcakes

For the girls' first birthday I made some special cupcakes. They loved them...and still love them! They are a healthier version of your typical cupcake and make a great snack for on-the-go. They freeze well too!

For their birthday, I topped them with some lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting (I'll include this recipe below too).

Here is the recipe for the girls' favorite cupcakes!

"Going Bananas Cupcakes" (Thanks, Whitney, for the fun name!)

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray (I like the "baking" spray for baked goods, but any cooking spray is fine)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 whole egg
1 egg white
2 cups banana puree (can substitute 1/2 cup with another veggie such as cauliflower, sweet potato, etc.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin/cupcake pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix flours with baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate mixing bowl, mix agave nectar and applesauce with egg, egg white, banana (or banana + veggie) puree, and vanilla. Add flour mixture until just combined.

Pour batter into muffin/cupcake pan (filling only to about 2/3 full). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (it will only be relatively clean as the applesauce and banana make them quite moist), about 25-35 minutes (every oven varies, so check your first batch often). Let them cool, remove from pan and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Frosting - Play around with this recipe to find a result you prefer. You can substitute some brown sugar for some of the agave if you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (totally optional...I've made with and without)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoon agave nectar

Melt butter, then mix all ingredients in an electric mixer until "light and fluffy." Spread on cupcakes however you choose! Enjoy!

Instead of baking the cupcakes in liners (which you could also do), I set them inside of the liners after they were baked. I like the look better and it makes them easier to eat.

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like them (or how your kids/babies like them). If you make adaptations/changes, let me know how those turned out!