Banana Cupcakes
These one-bowl banana cupcakes are quick, easy, and delicious. They are based on one of my favorite recipes from Grandma’s recipe book and I top them with cream cheese frosting.
This is a perfect recipe to make if you have some overripe bananas sitting around in your house.
Ingredients
This recipe uses all basic pantry ingredients that you may already have in your house.
Use super ripe – almost black – bananas. If you don’t have any ripe bananas around, you can peel your bananas and microwave them until they they get super soft, almost liquidy (this typically takes about 45 seconds). This will make them nice and sweet.Â
Add spices! Myles and I like to put cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom in our banana cupcakes. If you don’t like any of these spices, simply leave them off. We highly recommend you try them, though!
Sour cream gives the cupcakes just a tiny tang of tartness. You can also replace it with yogurt if you prefer.
How It’s Made
This is such a simple recipe!
All in the same bowl, mix butter and sugar, then mix in eggs, then mix in sour cream, flour, baking soda, and spices.
Lastly, mix in vanilla and mashed bananas.
Frost with your favorite frosting. While I use vanilla cream cheese frosting, you can frost the cupcakes with any frosting that you choose. They are amazing with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, peanut butter frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, or my strawberry whipped cream frosting.
I top mine with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar and a dried banana chip.
Expert Tips and FAQs
You can make these cupcakes as a cake! Put the batter into a greased 8″ x 8″ square baking dish and increase the baking time to about 30 minutes, testing for doneness starting at 20 minutes.
You can leave them at room temperature for a three days or refrigerate for five days, bringing to room temperature before serving.
Related Recipes
- Hummingbird cupcakes – They are similar to banana cupcakes, but with the addition of pineapple and pecans.
- Banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins
- Strawberry banana bread
- Caramelized bananas
- Bananas Foster French toast
Banana Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas pack the mashed bananas down and allow to overflow slightly, about 2 bananas worth
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting and Topping Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- cinnamon sugar to taste
- 16 banana chips
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs.
- Mix in sour cream, flour, baking soda, and spices until just combined.
- Mix in vanilla and mashed bananas until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes bounce back when lightly touched.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting and Topping Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the vanilla.
- Mix in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time until fully combined.
- Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top each cupcake with a banana chip.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The wonderful spices in these cupcakes put them in the “out of this world” category. Didn’t really taste any banana but I didn’t really care. Used up some over ripe bananas in a most delicious way.
Made these and loved them.
Just a question do you use the beater or whisk attachments for the dough? Thanks
This uses the beater attachment.
Hi, just a quick question please: if using plain flour, won’t the recipe need baking powder with the baking soda to rise? I have made your strawberry cupcakes (as minis as well), and they are a huge hit!
The baking soda does the trick in this case.
I JUST made these d’lish cupcakes…,I doubled the recipe and used brown sugar and white sugar….I did not have enough sour cream so I utilized some plain yogurt (w/ a little baking soda…)…..only added the cinnamon and then added some chopped walnuts….tasted fabulous, without frosting!! Thanks fir the recipe!! It’s a KEEPER!!
Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed!!
Ok so this is a bit off topic from baking but i just had to share. My father is a huge banana hound and would eat several bananas a day everyday for most of his life until he found out that he was suffering from kidney failure due to high levels of potassium poisoning his liver so be very careful to keep an eye on your levels and cut back if needed.
Oh.. that’s scary! My son eats 2 every single day!
Hi from Scotland!! Thank you so, so much for this recipe. I used it (with a sneaky addition of broken toffee pieces) for my entry to the first round of our staff “Bake Off” competition in aid of the McMillan Cancer charity…and I won!! The cupcakes came out perfectly. Thank you so much for a fail-safe recipe!
I will be in touch after I do This recipe ok
Made this recipe with only the vanilla for a spice. Wanted to see how the cupcakes turned out without all the extra flavor. Turned out phenomenal. Might add some of the extra spices next time
These do not rise as in photo. Need to be self raising flour. Otherwise they do not rise. Waste of time and money.
I love banana cake recipe. Thank you for sharing. I’m gonna try this soon.
Can you substitute cake flour for the AP flour? If so, is it an equal amount? Thx!
Yes! You can substitute in equal amounts. The cupcakes will be slightly more dense, but you may not even be able to tell the difference.
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My boys love bananas, and I love banana cake with cream cheese frosting. This recipe is perfect for us! Thanks for sharing the sweet story of your grandma & (now) husband. So cute!
What a gorgeous cupcake! I love the piping and the banana chip garnish. These would be so pretty presented on a dessert table! I love that there’s sour cream in the cupcake, too. They must have such a beautifully moist and tender crumb!
We do love our bananas — not three a day — just one. Your grandmother’s banana cake recipe looks like it produces a crumb that’s light as a feather and very tasty. I like the idea of making them into cupcakes rather than just a cake. Great recipe!!
I *LOVE* banana anything! I can’t say I’ve ever had or seen a banana cupcake before this and I have to thank you a million times over for it. SO GOOD <3 And I love that it's a little extra special coming from your grandmother's recipe book and all. Those recipes are always a win and fill you up with so much feelgood.
So many great memories and what a beautiful family! I love banana bread but These cupcakes look so light and fluffy I have to try them! The spice mixture sounds fantastic, and I bet it compliments the banana flavor really well.
Oh wow great tip about microwaving the bananas to ripen them up! I often want to make something banana but I don’t have any ripe bananas! Also based on the lightness of these cupcakes, sounds like cupcakes are way better than banana muffins!
What a great tip on microwaving the bananas if not ripe enough. I’ve never heard of this, but often have the need. Love the story behind these cupcakes and how beautiful they are.
We couldn’t wait to try this recipe, we meaning my kiddo and I! Our family loves bananas and buys easily 6 bunches a week. These cupcakes were absolutely delicious and pure perfection with the cream cheese frosting!
I think all banana bread is basically cake, but I love that these are lighter than normal banana bread muffins! I think frosting on banana anything sounds delicious! And I had absolutely no idea that you could microwave bananas to make them ripe– brilliant!!!
As someone who is a fan of banana bread and banana muffins so these banana cupcakes are perfect! That frosting sounds like a winner too! I need to bake some of these cupcakes!
Gorgeous recipe, Stef. I love the idea of banana cupcakes. That’s new to me and I’m ALL in! Great recipe tips too…I never knew about how to deal with unripe bananas, and now I do. Thanks for sharing with us…just pinned too!
I LOVE banana bread, so I know these cupcakes would be a hit too. I always have bananas to use (plus lots in the freezer). I could almost eat these for breakfast.
This is fantastic! It’s a cross between a cupcake and a banana muffin. Even better with the icing. I like the cake idea, definitely going to try this. I’m thinking for breakfast:)
I made these cupcakes and frosted with your brown sugar frosting (I used dark brown sugar). Holy decadence. I had to take some to the neighbors so I wouldn’t eat them all!
Anon – I stick is a 1/2 cup. In general, maybe this will help: https://www.cupcakeproject.com/how-to-convert-recipes-to-metric-units/.
Really enjoy your blog. Just been on a cupcake making course and now I love baking them! This may sound like a silly question but I’m from the UK and I have never cooked with cups and am unsure how much a stick of butter is. I usually work in grams or ounces and have lots of various sized cups. Any advice about conversion?
Many thanks.
I stumbled upon these during a google search and made them the same night. I think they are delicious but I’m serving them at a bday party for a friend tonight so I hope everyone else agrees!
Traci – Those tins are so cute! Hope you like the frosting! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Song – I’m so glad they were a hit! Thanks for letting me know. I’m actually making a variation on these this weekend. Thanks for getting me back in the mood.
they were delicious–all of my co-workers want the recipe now! thanks for the frosting help.
–meghan
hi! i’m just getting started in my baking experience, and i really wanted to make these cupcakes to bring into work tomorrow–except i don’t know how to make the frosting! do i just combine all the ingredients? thanks for your help! these look delicious and i can’t wait to make them (and eat them!)
Those look so great!
Gigi – Thanks for commenting! You are always so sweet!
Anon – I’ll have to try a penuche sometime. It does sound great!
Steamy – Hah!! Give it a go. :)
any time i can carry around something that resembles a sex toy…I’m all in.
Do a search for Penuche Frosting and try it on your banana cakes next time. It is heavenly–brown sugar and butter flavor.
Hi! I couldn’t find your email on here, but I was wondering if I could talk to you (probably email, because that seems to work best for everyone these days) and ask you some questions about cupcakes for a news story I’m writing for a class. My email is wilgasa@slu.edu. Thank you SO MUCH!
What a great story and banana recipe!