Banana Cupcakes, light, moist cupcakes topped with THE BEST brown sugar frosting.
These banana cupcakes will become your go-to recipe, guaranteed!
Banana Cupcakes
If you are looking for a knock-out banana cupcake recipe you have come to the right blog!
These seriously are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made and tasted.
What frosting goes best with banana cupcakes?
The banana cupcake recipe itself is like an amped up extra light but still seriously moist banana bread. But let’s not forget another winner here is the brown sugar frosting.
It’s one of those weird recipes, you know where you cook flour and milk together… I know, it sounds weird but… but…. wow. It’s the best cupcake frosting I have ever made. EVER.
It might be the only frosting I will ever make again. EVER.
BUT, if you are more on the traditional side, my best buttercream frosting works too!!
I have also made a version of these banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting if that is more your style. They even have walnuts, yum!
This post contains affiliate links.
Things you may need for this recipe:
Admittedly, the frosting can take a bit of work and can be a little tricky. But, once you taste it, you will understand the deliciousness.
How to make homemade banana cupcakes
- Add dry ingredients to a medium-sized bowl, set aside. Add mashed bananas, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined, with no dry patches. This is the most important step on how to make moist banana cupcakes.
- Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners, bake at 350-degrees for 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. A couple crumbs attached is okay, any wet batter needs longer to bake.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely. While cooling, make your desired frosting.
If you like these banana cupcakes, you will like these recipes too:
- Eggnog Cupcakes
- Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
- Angel Food Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting
How to make banana cupcakes from scratch
Banana Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas about 3 medium bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Brown Sugar Frosting
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
Instructions
Banana Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line muffin tin with wrappers, set aside. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined and no dry spots. Divide the batter among the 12 cupcakes wrappers, about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Place on a wire rack for 5 minutes, take out and place directly on the rack to cool completely.
Brown Sugar Frosting
- In a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until thick. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temp.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and there is no graininess left. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat it on high speed until a whipped cream consistency. This can take a while, do not give up! Well worth the effort. Frosting cupcakes and enjoy! Any leftover cupcakes should be refrigerated.
Nutrition
This post was updated on 5/31/2018 with text adjustment and newly edited photos.
.
Comments & Reviews
Dana DeVolk says
I would do it in the morning. Thanks for checking!
Stacy Mc says
Found these on Pinterest and made them for my son’s minion birthday today. He is crazy for bananas and he loved these with and without the frosting. Kept finding him with a new one in his hand as he stole them off the tray. They were delicious and made my day when our guests enjoyed them since I’m not a baker. Thank you so much for the great recipe and instructions!
Dana DeVolk says
Yay, this warms my heart. Thanks so much for letting me know how they came out!!
Amy Fleming says
Wow! The cupcakes are delicious and the frosting is next level. I think I could just make a batch of frosting and be happy. Thanks for sharing.
Mandy says
Oh my, these are perfect. They’re light and not too sugary. They’re just like banana bread only they boast this incredibly fluffy, creamy buttery frosting. I tweaked a few things but nothing major. Great photos and easy to follow instructions. Thank you for sharing!
Grace says
Hi! I’d like to use this recipe for a cupcake pull apart cake. Do you think I can tint the frosting with food coloring? Thanks!
Pamela Cedano says
Great recipe! I made it for my teacher and she liked them so much. I made a swiss cream frosting though and added some caramel to it which made these taste beyond good!
Dana DeVolk says
Yes, you can tint the frosting. It may not come out as vibrant as you want due to the brown sugar making the frosting a slightly tan color.
Melanie Cannon says
I made the cupcakes. They were amazing. I put any overripe bananas in my freezer and I doubled your recipe and they came out perfect. Moist, light and super delicious. I did really struggle with the frosting. The flour and milk in the saucepan came out like glue but I soldiered on. I couldn’t get the brown sugar grainy texture out of the butter and i beat the sugar until I almost broke the sugar. I ended up using my go-to carmel frosting which likely wasn’t as light — but perhaps you an offer some tips on the frosting.
Michel says
Made This recipe 2 years ago and loved it! Can’t seem to make the frosting whipped though. Not sure where I’ve gone wrong?! I don’t remember it taking this long before.
Christine says
Can they be frozen with frosting?
Dana DeVolk says
I have never tried that and I don’t recommend it. I believe you can freeze the cupcakes by themselves, then when you are ready to serve them just frost then. Thanks for asking!
Jessica says
How long does this frosting take to make? I’ve been missing for thirty minutes and it’s still runny.
Dana DeVolk says
It is probably too warm now to come together. I would suggest placing everything in the fridge for an hour and try whipping again.
Jean says
Is it light or dark brown sugar
Dana DeVolk says
Light
Sofia says
I came upon this recipe when I was wondering what to do with my ripe bananas. I’m not much of a baker but the first time I tried this it turned out beautiful. I have made these a few times since then and it always came out perfect. Family and friends love it. Thank you.
Dana DeVolk says
Thanks so much, Sofia, it means a lot to me you would take the time out to comment!
Paul says
Can people please weigh the ingredients they use? Cups are so imprecise, and people outside the US that would like to bake accurately are left out in the cold.
Wanda says
I was worried because I have never
made frosting without powdered sugar and having to mix flour and milk and cook it did seem different! But the frosting is just wonderful. I have made it twice already!
I noticed the cupcake recipe doesn’t have any oil or butter in it so I again questioned that but decided that all the bananas in it probably made up for that lack. It does taste good but has a different texture than I am used to. Thank you for the great recipe.