Page 305 - Cupcakes

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist the

bottom of 15 muffin cups with the vegetable oil spray. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer
on medium speed until the mixture is creamy and light, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the
eggs and beat again until the mixture lightens and is lemon colored, 30 seconds.
Slice the banana into the bowl. Add 1½ cups of the flour, ¾ cup of the
buttermilk, and the nutmeg. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon just until

combined, 10 strokes. Add the remaining flour and buttermilk and stir with the
spoon to just combine the ingredients, 10 strokes more. The batter will still be a
little lumpy. Fold in the blackberries. Spoon or scoop ⅓ cup batter into each
prepared muffin cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Sprinkle the tops
with the coarse sugar and place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the muffins until they are lightly golden and just spring back when
lightly pressed with your finger, 21 to 23 minutes. Remove the pans from the
oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife
around the edges of the muffins, lift them up from the bottom of the pan using
the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips.
Serve warm, with butter, if desired.

Store these muffins, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room