Banana Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
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Soft and fluffy banana cupcakes, topped with a gorgeous brown sugar buttercream frosting. These two flavors were MADE for each other!
Banana flavors are my jam! Try my Banana Pudding Cookies, or my highly rated Banana pancake recipe, too!
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Oh my, you guys. OH. MY.
I had to call my mother about these and let her know the sad/wonderful news. These banana cupcakes are actually better than… um, my grandmother’s banana cake. I know, that’s QUITE a statement to make – and honestly, not one I can say lightly. But it’s TRUE!
I make these as a treat while cooking dinner, actually – they’re that easy.
Are you convinced yet? I can also get both of my kids to get dressed all the way to shoes, brush their teeth and to pick up their rooms … on the promise of a cupcake. At 6:30am.
Two bowls, no mixer needed. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another, and mix together. Scoop into cupcake liners and bake. Ta-da!
About the Brown Sugar Buttercream
The cupcakes are soft and fluffy, not too dense, not at all dry – and perfect with or without the frosting.
Oh, but the brown sugar buttercream frosting? Ohhhhhh yes. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND it. So worth it. It’s actually a little strange when reading it – I was like, huh? Really? But, I promise. It works, and it’s amazing.
It takes a little time to get the texture right, but when it is the consistency of whipped cream – you know you have it perfect.
I’d never made frosting using flour before (I must have been living under a rock, apparently it’s common – who knew?). This doesn’t even contain confectioner’s sugar. Intriguing, right?
Do you love bananas? So do we! One of the most popular posts on Kylee cooks contains them. Try the Yummiest Banana Pancakes EVER or the tastiest Coconut Banana Bread.
Why this recipe works:
- Easy to make. Seriously, make this during a little downtime and reap the rewards!
- Fast. Mix them up, bake them and frost them in the space of about 30 minutes
- Delicious. Did I mention this? These are banana cupcakes from heaven.
Kylee’s Notes & FAQs
About the bananas.
MANY recipes call for overripe (brown) bananas. This recipe is best with ripe bananas. The banana flavor is definitely there but is lighter and more delicate than if you use brown bananas
Substitutions/Additions
Add some mini chocolate chips to the batter for a gooey, chocolatey treat.
Storing Banana Cupcakes
If you have frosted them, and actually have any left, keep them in the refrigerator.
Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored on the counter (covered).
Ingredients:
Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!
How to make Banana Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line muffin tin with wrappers, set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, mash the bananas then add oil, vanilla and egg.
Mix until well combined.
Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until JUST combined (don’t overmix it)
Scoop batter into 12 cupcake liners. I used a large cookie scoop to do this, but aim for 2/3 full.
Bake for 18 minutes, or until they spring back when you touch them lightly (a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean).
Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then set on a wire cooling rack until completely cool. Frost (see below).
How to make Brown Sugar Buttercream
In a saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened to a smooth paste.
Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temp.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. There should be no grittiness.
Add in the milk mixture and beat it on high speed until you get a whipped cream consistency.
Frost cupcakes, and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Some more of my favorite Banana recipes
- Banana Cream Cheesecake. a delicious hybrid of Banana Cream Pie and cheesecake, making this dessert a rich, creamy, pile of cheesecake-y banana deliciousness. It’s the perfect finale to any meal!
- Banana Pudding Parfaits. a super easy dessert with from-scratch pudding layered between whipped topping, with a dust of chocolate!
- Banana Oatmeal Energy Bites. These will get you through your day! Just mix, roll and enjoy this no-bake healthy snack.
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Source: As seen on and only adapted slightly from This Silly Girl’s Kitchen
Banana Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (about 5 small, or 3 medium bananas)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup butter (softened) (2 sticks)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar (sugar in the raw) (optional)
Instructions
Banana Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F, line muffin tin with wrappers, set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- In another bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cup mashed bananas, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 egg.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until JUST combined (don’t overmix it)
- Scoop batter into 12 cupcake liners. I used a large cookie scoop to do this, but aim for 2/3 full.
- Bake for 18 minutes, or until they spring back when you touch them lightly.
- Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then set on a wire cooling rack until completely cool. Frost.
Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
- In a saucepan, whisk together the 1/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened to a smooth paste.
- Remove from heat, stir in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and let cool to room temp.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk, cream the 1 cup butter and 1 cup dark brown sugaruntil light and fluffy. There should be no grittiness.
- Add in the milk mixture and beat it on high speed until you get a whipped cream consistency.
- Frost cupcakes, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon raw sugar.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instgram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!Update: This recipe was originally published in July of 2016. It was republished with updated photos in October of 2020.
About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
These look gorgeous! Do you know if they’d freeze well at all, either with or without the frosting? Thanks in advance!
They freeze well without the frosting! be sure to wrap them well.
Loved this. I love how the frosting is not overly sweet and the cake is perfectly moist. My oven must cook slightly different as I did have to bake them less.
Can these be made with bananas that were frozen?
Absolutely. Just make sure they’re thawed and room temp before using