Hummingbird Cupcakes with Marmalade Frosting

My older sister and I decided to bake these cupcakes one morning for a family dinner. They are fruity and the frosting is sweet, but not overly so. My cousin walked in and exclaimed, "Margaret, did you make these? They look wicked good!" And wicked good they were.

Ingredients for the Cupcakes:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup safflower oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup (2 medium) mashed bananas

1-1/2 tbsp. grated orange zest

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup (2 oz.) flaked coconut

Ingredients for the Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, softened

2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp. orange marmalade

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degress F. Place 12 baking cups in a muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, cream the sugar and oil with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs slowly, then stir in the dry ingredients in 3 batches. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until combined.

Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Smear the frosting onto the cupcakes. Store unfrosted in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note:

This recipe is from the 500 Cupcakes cookbook. So far, I have tried three of the recipes and all of them were great. Only 497 left!