MSC - Banana Walnut Cupcakes

I love banana bread so when the MSC group had this cupcake for the September bonus challenge, I knew I had to make these cupcakes.

Since I did not have any pecans on hand, walnuts would have to do for my cupcakes. I actually made the first batch two weeks ago. I also made the caramel buttercream frosting and ended up using the frosting on ONE cupcake - the one that I gave to the husband to eat. This was the first time I made caramel and I was pretty impressed with myself as the caramel actually came out, CARAMEL! :P The first round of whisking the egg whites was a no-go. I whisked for a good ten minutes (after dissolving sugar with egg whites over the stove) but my mixture never got fluffy or curdled so I ended up tossing that away. On the second round - I hand whisked over the stove for 15 minutes and that seemed to do the trick. Afterwards - I poured the mixture in my electric mixer and added the caramel. The consistency came out pretty well but I must say - it tasted like butter. The husband did not really care for the caramel buttercream so we opted to eat all the cupcakes without any frosting. Still delicious! :D

Since we were going to celebrate my dad's birthday this past weekend and I had a lot of bananas left, I decided to make another batch for my parents to take home. This time I made whipped cream and added banana chips. Verdict: My parents loved the whipped cream frosting but they thought the cupcakes were a bit sweet. Then again...I think my parents find most American baked goods and desserts more on the sweet side so maybe their comments don't count. :P
A little over a dozen cupcakes for my parents to take home to share with their friends. :)