Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

No ratings yet

Made with a super moist chocolate sponge base and topped with a creamy homemade banana cream cheese frosting, these mouthwatering chocolate banana cupcakes are a decadent treat that the whole family will love!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

100 g Granulated Sugar
100 g Brown sugar
80 g Vegetable Oil
120 g Whole milk room temperature
120 g Freshly brewed coffee room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 Egg room temperature
180 g All purpose flour
50 g Cocoa powder
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking soda

Banana Cream Cheese Frosting

113 g Unsalted Butter 82% fat, at room temperature
120 g Powdered sugar sifted
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
226 g Cream Cheese full fat (33%+) eg. Philadelphia
75 g Mashed Banana
½ tablespoon Lemon juice freshly squeezed

Decoration

Banana slices with sugar caramelized on top

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Chocolate cupcakes

Prepare your cupcake tin by lining it with muffin liners and preheat your oven to 175℃ / 350℉ (no fan).
With an electric hand mixer, whip together the wet ingredients for 1-2 minutes: room temperature egg, oil, sugar, coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
Sift dry ingredients together; flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt then pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold just until combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the cavities of your cupcake tin, filling each one about ¾ full.
Bake the chocolate cupcake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake them, as they can dry out.
Cool the baked cupcakes on a cooling rack. They must be at room temperature before frosting.

Banana Cream Cheese Frosting

First, bring your butter to room temperature. Here is how to soften butter. In the meantime, prepare a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Alternatively, use your electric hand mixer.
In the meantime, finely mashed banana with a fork and sprinkle with lemon juice to avoid browning.
Cream the room-temperature butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
Next, add the sifted powdered sugar and continue whipping for another 2 minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy, then add the vanilla extract.
Then add the full fat cream cheese and continue whipping for 2 more minutes.
Now, very slowly, start adding the banana puree, one tablespoon at a time with the mixer running. You can stop whipping once all the banana is incorporated.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag and chill it for 30 minutes before using it.

Assemble

Prepare the decoration; slice banana and "brulee" sugar on top.
Frost the cupcakes one by one and then decorate with one banana slice each.
The cupcakes are best served fresh. Any leftovers can be stored refrigerated for 2-3 days in an airtight container. I recommend decorating with the banana slice straight before serving.

Notes

You might be able to make more or less cupcakes with this recipe, depending on the size of the cupcake tin cavities.

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
All cupcake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, coffee, and milk.
For the frosting, the cream cheese needs to be high in fat. Using the low-fat version may result in a thinner frosting due to the excess water content.

Technique notes:

Make sure you read my Expert Tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone cannot cover all the necessary details and science behind baking.
A digital scale is required for a consistent, happy baking experience.
The cupcake batter will be very liquid; don't worry about it. Do not add more flour to it.
Always preheat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
Baking these cupcakes takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaked cupcakes. Do not overbake them, as that will result in a dry texture.
Because softened butter is being used, the frosting may still be on the softer side right after it's whipped. If this is the case, chill it for 30 minutes before piping. However, if it's chilled for too long, the butter will solidify, and you might find it difficult to pipe. If this happens, you just need to let it soften a little before using it.

Nutrition