Something about a cupcake transforms me into a child. So little, with swirly frosting, sprinkles, and toppers, it’s my cake that I don’t have to share and can devour with my hands. That being said, I recently went cupcake crazy, setting a goal for myself to make a different flavour cupcake every month.
Banana may not be the first flavour that comes to mind when you think about cupcakes. But it works, and I even have an evil fondness for these banana cupcakes. They go exceptionally well with cream cheese frosting, but they’d also look great with salted caramel buttercream or vanilla buttercream.
Get creative in the kitchen and make something delicious. This will always be one of my favourite delectable recipes, and I hope it will become one of yours as well.
Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Print RecipeIngredients
- Banana Cupcake Wet Ingredients:
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
- Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups of cake flour (it's a more refined flour than all-purpose with less gluten)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Flavour Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 4 bananas, very ripe
- Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 brick of cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 4-5 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk or cream
Instructions
Please ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line cupcake tins with paper liners. This recipe yields roughly three dozen cupcakes.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. If you don’t have a sifter, you can push the mixture through a metal mesh strainer or whisk your dry ingredients until well blended, and there are no visible lumps. This is a critical step; do not skip it.
- Puree the bananas, then add the rest of the flavour ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Cream the butter, oil, and sugar together in a stand mixer or a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go to ensure everything is properly blended. It should become lighter in colour and fluffier.
- Add the dry to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with flavour component additions, scraping along the sides as you go. Scrape down the sides and continue to mix for another half minute or more, or until the batter is glossy, thick, and mixed.
- If you have an ice cream scoop, it’s a perfect size for portioning cupcakes. If you don’t have one, fill the cupcake tin until it’s about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from tins to cool on wire racks; this prevents the cupcakes from becoming mushy due to steam, allows them to continue to cook, and helps them to cool faster.
Making the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter until frothy and well combined. Stand mixers are best for creaming butter and sugar, but hand mixers can also be used.
- Blend in the vanilla, as well as the first cup of powdered sugar.
- Add sugar one cup at a time until the desired consistency is obtained.
- If the texture becomes too thick, add milk or cream to thin it out or provide a delicate creamy flavour as desired.
