Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Pastry Cream

Pastry Cream is Absolutely Underused and Unduly Ignored. This richer, sexier, silkier French cousin to good old American pudding deserves another look. In our opinion, there are few things better than a good pastry cream for slathering onto single-layer cakes or little cupcakes, or as a base for a fruit tart. Lush and fragrant, we think it makes the banana cake in this recipe shine. Its homey taste and upscale finish turn an ordinary cupcake into something special.