I haven't eaten in many college dining halls, but UVa's dining halls weren't half bad. They had the best veggie chili and cornbread, tuna salad, Parmesan-peppercorn salad dressing, ice milk and soy milk, grilled chicken caesar salads among many, many other things. With the first-year dining plan, you had $250 "plus dollars" that could be spent on food in any of the on-campus convenience stores, cafes, and coffee shops. They roll over from fall to spring semester, but not from year to year. After first semester, I had only spent $50, because A) I didn't quite understand how they worked and B) I was such a tightwad I didn't want to spend them (it wasn't like I could get them back).
Anyway, at the beginning of second semester, I realized I had $450 to spend on food in addition to the weekly 12 meals I had. I guess this is how people get that "freshman fifteen." Fortunately I went to boarding school, so that was taken are of four years earlier. I spent the majority of my money during "Hell Week." It's the week at the end of guys' pledging, where they make them do outrageous things...their whole pledging is full of those sorts of bonding activities, but this particular week, they live at their respective fraternity houses and are at the mercy of the brothers with the exception of class time + ten minutes travel time to and from. I have several stories, but I'll spare you. I will say there is little sleep and food involved.
Every day before class, I would go to The Castle--the first-year fast food joint in the basement of the dorm Bonnycastle, crafty naming, huh? I'd spend boo coo bucks on my friend who was pledging...French fries, cheeseburgers, Starbursts, soft drinks--the works--and come to class with a feast. He would scarf it down in the first ten minutes, and proceed to nap for the next hour until he had to rush back to the house.
This is a very (VERY) roundabout way of telling you about the best things made by the dining services at UVA...the rice krispie treats and the banana bread. The rice krispie treats had more butter and marshmallow than your average treat, and they were killer. They banana bread so, so good and moist. They would sometimes make a banana-bread-cream-cheese sandwich. It is UNREAL. These cupcakes are sort of like that. They are very moist and flavorful, and you can't go wrong putting cream cheese icing on anything. Don't feel guilty having one of these for breakfast with a cup of joe (or after dinner with a glass of good red wine)...it's not a cupcake; it's bread and cream cheese!
For the cake part:
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups flour (I used cake flour for a fluffier, lighter cupcake)
1/4 t salt
Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. I always fill the cups pretty full, but if you don't, you may get more than 15 cupcakes.
Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, and then add vanilla.
Mix the baking soda and sour cream in a separate bowl before adding to the other wet ingredients.
After adding the sour cream, add bananas and dry ingredients; mix just until it comes together. Spoon into cupcake holders.
Bake for 20 minutes.
For the icing:
8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
Beat the cream cheese before adding any ingredients; this helps the other ingredients mix in easier. Add the powdered sugar and milk. Beat until incorporated. Add vanilla and salt.
Refrigerate until the cupcakes have cooled. Frost the cupcakes (they are great even without icing)...if you can resist eating it right out of the bowl while they cool.
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| My cousin...working on his third. |
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