This recipe makes 36 banana cupcakes using four ripe bananas, buttermilk, and a combination of butter and oil — a combination that keeps the crumb genuinely soft for days rather than drying out overnight. The tangy cream cheese frosting balances the sweetness without tipping into dessert-overload territory, which makes these a reliable choice when you need something that actually gets eaten. If you have brown bananas and need to feed more than a few people, this is the most practical thing you can do with them.
The technique that matters
The alternating method — adding dry ingredients and the banana-buttermilk mixture in turns, starting and ending with the dry — is the step most home bakers rush or skip. It matters here because the batter is heavy with moisture from four bananas and buttermilk. Adding all the liquid at once can break the emulsion you built when creaming the butter and sugar, leaving you with a greasy, dense crumb. Keeping the mixer on low during this stage is equally important: once flour meets liquid, gluten starts developing, and overmixing at this point is what makes cupcakes tough rather than tender. Go slow, stop as soon as the batter looks glossy and just combined, and the texture will be noticeably better.
What can go wrong
- Cupcakes sink in the middle: Usually means the oven door was opened before the structure had set — wait until at least 18 minutes before checking. It can also mean the baking soda is old; test it by dropping a pinch in hot water and checking for a strong fizz.
- Frosting is runny and won’t hold a swirl: Cream cheese releases moisture when it warms up. If your kitchen is warm, chill the frosted cupcakes for 15–20 minutes before serving. Make sure the cream cheese and butter are softened but not warm to the touch before you start.
- Cupcakes stick to the liners: This almost always happens when they’re peeled too soon. Let them cool completely on the wire rack — at least 45 minutes — before removing the liners or frosting.
- Uneven rise with domed tops that crack: Overfilled cups. Two-thirds full is the ceiling; any more and the batter has nowhere to go but up and over.
- Flat banana flavour: The bananas weren’t ripe enough. The skins should be mostly black, not just spotted yellow. If yours are only lightly brown, a 15-minute roast in a 300°F oven deepens the flavour significantly.
Smart swaps
- Cake flour: If you don’t have it, substitute with all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons per cup, replaced with cornstarch. The texture will be slightly less fine but still good.
- Buttermilk: Mix ¾ cup whole milk with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice, stir, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Works the same way.
- Frosting flavour: Skip the cream cheese frosting entirely and use a simple vanilla buttercream if you’re making these for kids who push back on anything tangy — the cupcakes are sweet enough to carry it. That said, the cream cheese version is the better pairing; skip the garnish on top (sprinkles, banana chips, whatever) — not worth the extra dish.
Leftovers and make-ahead
Unfrosted cupcakes keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for 5 days — bring them to room temperature before frosting or serving. Once frosted, store them in the fridge (the cream cheese frosting requires it) and eat within 3 days; the texture is best on day one and two. For longer storage, freeze the unfrosted cupcakes individually wrapped in plastic, then in a zip bag, for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour, then frost fresh. The frosting itself can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge; re-whip it briefly before using if it has stiffened.
Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cupcake Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups cake flour (it’s a more refined flour than all-purpose with less gluten)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Flavour Ingredients:
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 medium bananas very ripe
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
Please ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C (160°C fan-forced) 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.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter, oil, and brown sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until smooth, lighter in colour, and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is properly combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the banana-buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and mix on low for another 30 seconds until the batter is glossy, thick, and just combined. Do not overmix or the cupcakes will be tough.
- 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 frosting is too thick to pipe, add milk or cream 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach a smooth, pipeable consistency. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I make these as a layer cake instead of cupcakes?
Yes — this batter works well in two 9-inch round pans. Bake at 350°F for 28–34 minutes, checking with a toothpick at the 28-minute mark, since the deeper batter takes longer to set than individual cupcakes.
My bananas aren’t very ripe yet. Can I still use them?
You can, but the banana flavour will be noticeably weaker. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast at 300°F for 15–20 minutes until the skins turn black and the fruit is soft — it concentrates the sugars quickly and works well in a pinch.
Can I halve the recipe? 36 cupcakes is a lot.
Halving works cleanly — just use 2 eggs instead of 1.5. You’ll get about 18 cupcakes, which fills one standard 12-cup tin with a few extra for a second small batch or a muffin tin.
How do I know when the cream cheese frosting is the right consistency to pipe?
It should hold a soft peak and pull away from the bowl cleanly — if it slumps off a spoon in a slow ribbon, it’s ready. If it’s still too loose after adding 4 cups of powdered sugar, chill the bowl for 10 minutes rather than adding more sugar, which can make the frosting overly sweet.
Try these next
- Ultimate Banana Bread
- Classic Banana Nut Bread
- Classic Soft Sugar Cookies
- Indulgent Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
