Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Frosting

 Wonderfully moist and delicious- and very easy to make.

1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup AP flour
1/3 cup high quality cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

1 large egg
1/2 cup smashed brown banana- about 1 medium
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk (almond, dairy or soy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in center of oven
Prepare 12 cupcake molds

In a large bowl whisk together sugar through sea salt.
In another large bowl whisk together egg through milk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk till just combined (the batter is thin)
Scoop the batter into the cupcake tins, about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack and then frost.  These cupcakes can be kept in the fridge for 5 days (the vegetable oil retains moisture)

Cinnamon Pumpkin Frosting 

1/8 cup vegan margarine-

1/8 cup vegan cream cheese

1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin puree (I u sed a puree that already had all the spices in it)

1 1/2 cups confectioner sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4-1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

In a medium-sized bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the vegan butter, cream cheese and pumpkin until creamy and smooth. Sift in 1 cup of the powdered sugar, and beat. Sift in the 2nd cup of powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Repeat for the last cup of powdered sugar. Frosting should thick.  Add in vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and food coloring. Beat until well combined. Taste to make sure its spiced properly and it tastes like pumpkin! Cover in plastic and store in the fridge until ready to pipe.