Hummingbird Cupcakes

When I first saw these cupcakes on one of my favorite blogs, Alpineberry, my strange imagination immediately ran away with itself, leaving me with a vision of a cup sized cake encasing a sweet, little hummingbird, waiting patiently inside for me to bite gently in, releasing it from its cakey captor. Not all that appetizing to be truthful! Of course no animals were harmed in the making of this confection, however, the sweet pineapple flower on top gives one the impression that a hummingbird might be along at any moment to sample some sweet nectar. That is if I haven't eaten all the cupcakes before those pesky birds have a chance to bogart any of them! 

These were a lot of fun to make. The batter had 

some real weight to it, leaving me with a rather masculine (if that's possible of batter) impression  of it. It wasn't like some of those wimpy, running concoctions that leave you wondering if you'll end up with soup once the oven and the pan get together to do what ever it is they do in there. This one really stays where you plop it, and I admire that in a batter. Unlike any wildlife, two of my favorite fruits, pineapple and banana, are living inside, accounting for the actual weight no doubt. The pan was actually slightly heavy to lift (leaving me guilt ridden for denying my treadmill and free weights the honor of my presence this morning)! 

I love working with fresh pineapple. There is something satisfying about carving one up. And the happy tops certainly gave my compost pile a festive, Bahamian kind of look, despite the fact that there was snow falling when I hightailed it outside to drop them off. 

I was left with a bit of extra batter, which saddened me because I feel it's a crime to waste good cake batter. I couldn't quite justify heating up the second oven for what would have been about two extra cupcakes, so I over filled my second batch instead. I'm typically an over filler anyway, so it didn't take too much convincing on my own part. 

I have to admit I'm a peeker, I cannot leave well enough alone. I know, I know, it just postpones the enjoyment, but I cannot help myself! Besides, that's when you get the best wafts! On my first peek I was overwhelmed by the scent! So much so that I wanted to climb inside that hot oven and eat the half baked batter, with no regard for my own safety. Luckily I wouldn't have fit, as that's probably all that kept me out of there! 

You can find the recipe here. I found I only needed one large pineapple – half for the batter, and the other half for the flowers – but others may have a different experience. I'm lucky enough to get to bake on a professional range that has that nifty convection option on it. The first batch went a full 33 minutes (ten over) without the convection on. I tried the second round with the convection and ended up at exactly 23 minutes. 

I always end up with 11 or 23 iced cupcakes as one must be sacrificed whilst still warm. The slaughter was just committed and I'm wondering if I'm only going to have 22 to top. The upside to that is that the less cupcakes that get iced, the more icing the others may adorn. It's a cream cheese icing, which is my fav, so the excess might just end up in my belly. 

They have finally reached completion and they are fantastic all around! I love the way they look, and they taste scrumptious!! This recipe is absolutely worth the extra effort. The cream cheese icing is divine and the bite of pineapple on top is the perfect touch. I will definitely be adding these to my repertoire… and I'm confident life will soon give me an excuse to bake them again and show them off! 

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