Too many bananas and they're already so ripe? Bake with them!

One of the best things about life in Asia.. the fruits! There are so many varieties of tropical fruits that you'd never find in the states. And if you do, they are ridiculously overpriced.

I've been really into the local variety of Filipino bananas lately. There are three kinds: Lacatan, Latundan, and Senorita.

In the past months, I've tried all 3. After eating these, the bananas in the states taste like potatoes. The ones here are packed with flavor. It's like they have been infused with banana liquor.

The Senorita bananas are fun to eat because of the tiny size. You can have it in 2 bites.. ok maybe 3 if you want mind your eating manners. The Lacatan and Latundan bananas are a bit bigger. I prefer the Latundan variety because the bunches I've eaten have been the sweetest and boldest with banana taste.

The only problem with the bananas is that they ripen so fast. It's like a race to finish it, while trying not to gain weight from overindulging in bananas. So one of the best solutions to this problem is to bake with the bananas!

Here's a batch of banana cupcakes that my mom recently baked. In the past, she'd make banana bread. Then she moved on to banana muffins. Now, it's banana cupcakes. They are so light, fluffy, moist, and full of banana flavor. Plus, they are topped with my favorite cupcake icing: cream cheese frosting!

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Banana Cupcakes