Nilla Wafer Cupcakes

    My dad bought a jumbo pack of Vanilla Wafers the other day, and my family ate half the pack in about two days. Let's face it: Nilla Wafers are delicious.
    So, I decided to use the Nilla Wafers (well, what was left of them) to make dessert for my family as a surprise. I Googled 'Nilla Wafer desserts' and found a recipe for Nilla Wafer bundt cake that had very good reviews. I loved the idea of a cake made with Nilla Wafers, but I felt like making cupcakes that night. Also, I didn't want to make a lot of cupcakes. So, I cut the recipe in half and poured the batter into muffin tins.
    One of my family's favorite desserts is the banana pudding that my mom makes using Nilla Wafers. I wanted to find a way to incorporate banana into the cupcakes. I thought about adding banana to the batter, but decided against it. Finally I came up with the idea to put banana topping on the cupcakes. My family loved the idea and my Dad even said that they reminded him of banana pudding. Below is the recipe for the cake batter, as well as my recipe for banana topping.

Vanilla Wafer Cake IV
(I found this recipe here)
Original recipe makes 1 10-inch Bundt pan.
1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut
1 cup ground pecans
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed very fine
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch fluted tube pan such as a  Bundt®. Mix together the coconut and ground pecans; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in the crushed wafers alternately with the milk. Mix in the coconut and ground pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.


* I cut the recipe in half to make my cupcakes, but I used 2 eggs instead of 3 and the batter still turned out fine. Also, I did not add the coconut and pecans because of my family's preferences, and the cake still had plenty of flavor. I changed the baking temperature for 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend baking the cupcakes for 18 minutes at that temperature, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. DON"T FORGET TO GREASE THE MUFFIN PAN BEFORE ADDING THE BATTER!

My Banana Topping
1 large banana
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of milk and microwave for ten seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the mixture forms a glaze-like texture. Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes, then add banana topping.

ENJOY!