Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes for He Never Liked Cake

A couple of days during the work week, I wake up earlier than I’d like and meet what is usually a handful of morning people at my local studio for 75 minutes of yoga. Janna Leyde has been my Thursday teacher for almost a year. I leave her class awake, invigorated, and ready to face my day.

Janna also teaches yoga to her dad. He is a traumatic brain injury survivor.

Janna’s father was forever changed by a car wreck when she was 14, and she has written this book to help others understand traumatic brain injury survivors and what their families go through. Her story is one of love and perseverance, pain and frustration, and she tells it with honesty and humor. As she puts it herself, it is “the unabashedly honest perspective of a girl who lost her father and learned to love a stranger.”

I was happy to make cupcakes for the He Never Liked Cake launch party.

Why peanut butter? It’s a flavor both Janna and her dad like. In the book, she makes a peanut butter and berry smoothie for them after practicing yoga. And banana, of course, goes with peanut butter. (It’s also a great smoothie ingredient!)

What does the title mean? You’ll have to read the book. Buy it at Bookcourt in Brooklyn or online at Amazon.