Recipe originally published in 2018. Updated and republished in 2022.
There’s nothing like some over-ripe bananas to get me in the mood for baking. The go-to recipe is of course Banana Loaf but having made countless loafs in recent months (including one still lurking in my freezer!) it was time to put the bananas to another use. Cue the Banana Cupcakes!
There’s a few things that make Banana Cupcakes a little more special than your standard loaf. The mixture itself uses a bit more flour and baking powder, meaning they’re a little lighter in texture. And better still is that vanilla buttercream!
Plus there’s always something quite special feeling about a little cupcake. The perfect little portion of cake that sits right in your hand. Even if we all know that, these Banana Cupcakes are so delicious that you couldn’t possibly just have one!
Ingredients:
Bananas
Perhaps a little bit obvious, but for banana cupcakes, you will need some bananas! Ripe bananas are nearly always preferable in baking; one for flavour, two for texture, and three because they are easier to mash.
I also recommend a handful of dried banana chips for decorating but this is optional.
Caster Sugar
Cupcakes need some sweetness and this recipe uses caster sugar to achieve this. Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar, so it works beautifully in cake batters. Should you prefer a slightly less-sweet and more-caramel flavour, you can try swapping out the caster sugar for a golden caster sugar.
Butter or Margarine
Often in cake & cupcake batters, butter is favoured for it’s “richer” flavour. However, margarine is a great alternative that is not only cheaper but allows your to omit the dairy from this recipe.
In terms of the actual cupcake, you can use a spreadable or block margarine. But for the buttercream, be sure to use a block margarine – the spreadable kind will be too soft for this.
Free-range Egg
Like many cake and cupcake batters, these banana cupcakes use an egg to help bind the ingredients together. The size of your egg isn’t particularly important, just be sure you are using free-range.
Milk
There are a few elements that separate these banana cupcakes from our Banana Loaf recipes, one of those is the addition of milk. Not a lot, but a few tablespoons helps thin out the batter and make it a little lighter (like a cupcake!) and a little “stodgy” (like a banana loaf should be).
You can use whatever milk you prefer. Dairy milk is probably the most obvious choice but I’ve had good success using soya and oat milk in these cupcakes too.
Self-raising Flour
Cake in general will be made with self-raising flour, as this contains some raising-agents within, that allows your cake to rise as it cooks. Cupcakes are no exception.
Baking Powder
Self-raising flour allows some rise to occur whilst baking but baking powder gives these cupcakes an extra little lift, making them a lighter texture over all.
Icing Sugar
As well as some extra butter/margarine. icing sugar is a key ingredient in the buttercream tops on these cupcakes.
Vanilla Extract
Vanilla compliments these cupcakes perfectly. I recommend adding a little to the batter to bring out the banana flavour, but it’s in the buttercream that you’ll really get the taste of it. Vanilla extract is my go-to but a vanilla paste, or even a fresh vanilla pod, is a way to take these banana cupcakes to more of a luxury bake.
Granny's Top Tips
• As with Banana Loaf, the best kind of bananas for Banana Cupcakes is the over-ripe ones. The blacker the better!
• I topped these cupcakes with a dried banana chip
• Previously I suggested a cream cheese icing for the tops of these cupcakes, however I find a vanilla buttercream to be a better flavour combo, as well as giving the cupcakes a longer shelf-life.
Love this? Try this:
Banana Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
For the Cupcakes
- 2 Bananas ripe
- 140 g Caster Sugar
- 55 g Butter or Margarine softened
- 1 Free-range Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 225 g Self-raising Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Power
For the Icing
- 300 g Icing Sugar
- 150 g Butter or Block Margarine softened
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 tbsp Milk
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cupcakes
- Pre-heat your oven to 170°c (150°c for fan-assisted oven or Gas Mark 3) and line a muffin tray with twelve cupcake cases.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas before adding the butter and sugar. Mix well until combined.
- In a separate bowl (or mug) whisk the egg, milk and vanilla before adding to the mixture.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and gently fold to form a batter.
- Using an ice cream scoop, transfer the batter to your prepared cupcake cases, filling each to about 2/3 full.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, until risen, golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Once cool enough to touch, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Icing
- In a large bowl, mix the icing sugar, butter/margarine and vanilla together until light and fluffy. If it appears a bit thick, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it out - just be sure to add a little at a time, only until you have your desired texture.
- Once your cupcakes are completely cool, pipe or spread the icing on top of each, topping with a dried banana chip, if desired.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
25 responses
Pinned to try soon, can’t wait! Thank you!
They were great usually I need to add at least an extra half an hour onto the time, but this was bang on 20 minutes.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I have made these cakes on 2 occasions and added white chocolate chip and milk chocolate chip chunks (without the frosting on the top)
They have been a massive hit, they are so light and fluffy. I have been using stork cake butter and I’m a big fan of this recipe, thank you
Thank you so much baking with granny I participated in a mini British bake off with my family and they came out so light and fluffy. I love them
Absolutely easy. Delicious and light.
Thanks for sharing…
It tastes so delicious and I’m lucky to have a cross your page. Thank you
I had a couple of over ripe bananas so thought about making cupcakes, I had a few failed attempts with other recipes, but found this one so thought I would give it a try. These were very easy to make and came out perfectly…so light and fluffy.
I’m not a fan of dried banana, so topped them with butterscotch pieces…
Baking with Granny is now my go to page for sweet treats.
Hello! Going to attempt these… can’t bake so should be interesting! How many cupcakes does it make? X
Just Fabulous! Managed to make 15 out of the recipe so extra bonus there lol. Didn’t make the icing as personal taste I find banana cupcakes sweet enough already. My son made them with me and thoroughly enjoyed them. Thumbs up all round!!!
These sound absolutely delicious and (big bonus!) so easy to make. Will be trying your recipe when my grandson comes….Nicholas’ favourite cake is bananabread. Many thanks for the recipe.
I have made these cupcakes twice now and the recipe is so easy. Cake is very light and a good flavour.
I tried this recipe today (without the frosting) and they were sooo good! Thanks so much for sharing ❤️
I love anything banana and a dairy intolerant person, as is my grandson, I always use Mrs B Crocker icing as it is convenient and dairy free.
Just made these and absolutely lovely! They’re still very slightly warm but couldn’t wait to try them. So fluffy and light. Not yet iced but not sure they need it. Yummy.
I don’t know what I did wrong! Followed recipe exactly. Were very stodgy and stuck to your throat. Disappointing
I followed recipe exactly so don’t know what went wrong. Everyone else gives five stars so it must be me. They definately weren’t light & fluffy but stodgy, heavy & stuck to you throat. I am a long time cook and get many compliments so very disappointing
I don’t know what I did wrong!
My batter was very thick so added more milk. They tasted ok and will try again.
I used 3 bananas and didn’t have baking powder but they were PERFEFT! I didn’t do a buttercream either as I’m on a diet and they were still delicious
I made these tonight and they are amazing! So light and fluffy just like everyone else has said. I used gluten free flour for it.
Next time I’ll half the icing because it was a lot.
Thanks for this recipe!
Oh, they are so good! I made them in mini tins (24 little cupcakes).
Possibly will add less sugar next time.
Can’t wait to share it with my toddlers
There’s something about over-ripe bananas that just calls for baking, isn’t there? Banana Loaf is usually my go-to as well, but after making more than a few recently (with some still waiting in the freezer), I love the idea of mixing it up with Banana Cupcakes! It’s such a creative twist, and I can already imagine how moist and flavorful they’d be. A great way to use those bananas in a fresh, fun way!
This has been my go to recipe for some time now, it’s sooo easy and comes out fantastic every time! I bake it as one large banana bread and add chocolate and desiccated coconut. This means cooking for longer but it is my favourite recipe!
I am really happy with this recipe, my oven is a basic gas oven and sometimes doesn’t cook cakes properly, but these are perfect, I have made them twice and will definitely be baking more they taste great too!!!
Thanks so much
Use this everytime!
I change it up slightly, adding more milk so it’s runny. Chocolate chips in. Then bake for maximum 20 minutes. Part of the top golden, other part light.
Then skip the buttercream as these work so well as chocolate chips banana muffins! So light fluffy
Amazing recipe, I rarely bake and panic when my little one asks if we can bake a cake. This was easy to follow and the timing is spot on thank you