I'm late getting this posted today, but I think I have a very good reason. These are photos of Nora's birthday "cupcakes" a month ago. We chose to make homemade cupcakes instead of buying such things. Many people have allergies, and store bought ones can be so expensive and have such high sugar.

We made 4 batches of our favorite banana banana bread and topped it with the best dark chocolate ganache recipe I could find. I know there were people talking about them and wanting the recipes. Sorry it took me so long to share my easy sources.

Anyway, we have a friend who has even less time than I do to spend in the kitchen. So, as a present for her daughter's second birthday, I offered to make cupcakes. They were out of town for Nora's birthday, but heard the raves about her cupcakes. And that was the kind they requested. You may think me cheap to make cupcakes instead of give presents, but I am learning that many people are really happy with "consumable presents." And cupcakes of any variety are definitely consumable.

We made about 72 banana muffins (of varying sizes) for Nora's party. For Presley's party, one batch of the same recipe made 16 cupcakes. Half the ganache recipe covered them perfectly. I highly recommend investigating these recipes for your next party. They taste sweet, but won't make anybody feel overly stuffed and sick afterward from sugar overload. And fruit-flavored is a great way to teach kids to celebrate healthfully all their lives.

Happy Birthday, Presley!