Hummingbird Cupcakes

One of the first weeks after I moved to Lubbock two-and-a-half years ago, I was invited to dinner after church by Evonne. I was grateful that, after only being in Lubbock a short time to have people who were looking out for me. She has since become a good friend, and is one of the nicest, most thoughtful people I know.

Evonne just finished her master's degree, and will be leaving Lubbock as she begins looking for a job. We had a farewell party for her Saturday night, and the theme was Aloha, because Evonne was born in Hawaii.

These hummingbird cupcakes seemed perfect, since they had coconut and pineapple. In addition, Evonne spends her summers in southern Texas studying and tagging birds, so there was that connection, too.

There is much debate in the Martha Stewart book as to why they are called hummingbird cupcakes. It is a Southern recipe, and it is thought that it may be because they make you hum with delight. Or, possibly, it is because they are sweet like the sugared water used to attract hummingbirds. In either case, they are sweet and very dense.

Hummingbird Cupcakes (makes 40)

3 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. sugar

3 large eggs

2 c. mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)

2 cans (8 oz. each) crushed pineapple, drained

1 c. walnuts (about 3 oz.) toasted and coarsely chopped

1 c. unsweetened desiccated coconut, which looks like this, and differs from regular coconut because it is not sweet and completely dry.

cream cheese frosting

dried pineapple flowers

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together dry ingredients.

Beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue beating until mixture is pale and fluffy.

In another bowl, stir together banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, beating until combined. Stir in flour mixture with a flexible spatula.

Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full. Bake 25 to 28 minutes. When cool, frost with cream cheese frosting, garnish with dried pineapple flowers.

As for the dried pineapple flowers, I am not sure if I made them poorly, or if they were just a colossally bad idea.

To make them start with a fresh pineapple, and cut the top and the skin off. Preheat the oven to 225 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I used wax paper, which may have been the problem to begin with. Use a small melon baller (I used a paring knife) to remove the "eyes." Using a sharp knife, slice pineapple crosswise into very thin slices. Place slices on baking sheets. Bake until tops look dried, about 30 minutes. Flip slices and bake until completely dried, about 25-30 minutes more, or longer, depending on their thickness. Pinch center of each pineapple slice to shape into a cone, let cool in a clean muffin tin to form flower.

Mine never got completely dry, and stuck to the wax paper. I tasted one, and it was like pineapple jerky.