One of the worst things, for me, is to let food go to waste. I hate the weekly fridge clean-out of left-overs and the rare spoiled piece of cheese.
Today, in the midst of a cloudy skied morning and various cleaning projects, I had to decide what to do with 4 very very very ripe bananas. And by ripe I mean, black and soft. So ripe that you fear moving them will cause a mushy mess.
Some would say that bananas this ripe should be tossed. I, having loved many banana breads, knows the powerful flavor available in a nicely ripe banana.
So, what to make. Banana bread, no. Banana ice cream, no. Cake, well maybe.
My search brought me to this lovely and simple recipe:
Banana Chocolate Cupcakes. 
With a minor modification or two, my cupcake recipe is as follows:
Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
- 1 Cup Mashed Ripe Bananas (2-4 Bananas)
- 3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare cupcake pans (24 cupcakes total) with paper cups
3. In mixer, blend the water, milk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and bananas until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, blend the remaining dry ingredients. Ensure that there are no lumps in the mix by sifting if needed.
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Blend until well mixed.
6. Portion the batter into each of the cupcake pans.
7. Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick to make sure the batter is well cooked and no longer sticks to the toothpick.
8. Let cool very well before frosting.
9. Frost as suggested below.
Marshmallow Frosting
- 8 Egg Whites
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Cream of Tarter
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Step 1 - Bring a small sauce pan to a simmer with water. Place the egg whites, sugar and cream of tarter in a heat proof bowl on the pan. Whisk the mixture until frothy and sugar is dissolved. should take about 3-4 minutes.
Step 2- Place the mixture under a stand mixer or hand mixer. Start slow and slowly increase the speed. Mixture will start to turn more white and increase in volume.
Step 3 - whisk on high for 5-7 minutes. Mixture will start to be glossy and very white. Once the mixture starts to hold shape and creates peaks, the whisking is complete.
Step 4 - Once the mixture is thick and holds rounded peaks, lightly mix-in the vanilla. 
Step 5 - Use immediately! Will frost 18-24 cupcakes, thick or more if you use less. Will frost one large cake. Can be toasted with a kitchen torch and topped with sprinkles. Images above show the completed cupcakes frosted with a round tipped piping bag.
