What a trio of flavors! These are super-moist banana chocolate chip cupcakes topped with milk chocolate and peanut butter swirled frosting. Theyโre just as moist and flavorful as banana bread, but not quite as dense.
You may recognize this banana cupcake recipe if you have a copy of Sally’s Baking Addiction (on page 136 and topped with Nutella frosting!). We even used this banana chocolate chip cupcake batter to make a Banana Chocolate Chip Layer Cake on page 69. Topped with milk chocolate frosting, of course.
Tell Me About These Banana Cupcakes
- Flavor: Even without the frosting, these cupcakes are full of flavor. (Think of them as cakey banana chocolate chip muffins!) Ripe brown spotted bananas are key and what I recommend in our banana cake recipe, too. Plus, we add cinnamon and sweeten them with brown sugar. What you may love most, though, is that the combination of peanut butter and milk chocolate frostings tastes like a peanut butter cup.
- Texture: These cupcakes are soft and springyโmuch lighter in texture than dense banana bread. Ripe bananas, brown sugar, and buttermilk (or this buttermilk substitute) keep them extra moist, even by day 2.
- Ease: The cupcake recipe is pretty straightforward and simple. The hardest part, if we can even call it that, is swirling the frostings together. But you get the hang of it quickly as you go.
Let’s Discuss the Frostings
The frosting swirl. Learning to swirl two types of frosting together takes practice. Like any sport, instrument, or hobby, the more you do it, the more youโll get comfortable with it.
Let me briefly explain how to do thisโand itโs exactly how we made two-toned frosting roses. You need a piping bag (reusable or disposable) and tip. Spoon some of the peanut butter frosting into one side of your piping bag and spoon some of the milk chocolate frosting into the other side. Then pipe onto cupcakes. We use Wilton 1M star tip and pipe the frosting in a tall swirl. If youโre interested, hereโs a piping tips tutorial.
- Please note: if you decide to only use 1 frosting, youโll have to double the frosting recipe to guarantee thereโs enough for all 18 cupcakes.
Getting the frosting flavor right. Both frosting recipes are simple: add more or less cream to adjust your frostingsโ thickness. Find them too sweet? Add a pinch of salt to tone down the sweetness.
More Favorite Recipes with Bananas
- Banana Bread
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Quick & Easy Banana Muffins
- Banana Scones
- Caramelized Banana Pudding
Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: 18 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
The ultimate trio of your favorite flavors! Super-moist banana chocolate chip cupcakes topped with milk chocolate and peanut butter swirled frosting.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk*
- 1 cup (180g) mini or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips
Milk Chocolate Frosting
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 3/4 cup (185g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml)ย heavy cream or half-and-half*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line two 12-count muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes:ย Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl on medium speed until creamed. About 2-3 minutes. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla, beating on low speed for about 1 minute.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions, stirring by hand after each addition. ย Add the milk and stir until combined. ย The batter will be lumpy. ย Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter evenly into 18 cupcake liners. Fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.ย Bake each batch for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the chocolate frosting:ย Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to assure there are no lumps. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamyโabout 2 minutes. Gradually add the sifted sugar/cocoa powder alternately with the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat on low speed after each addition. Once all added, beat on high speed until creamy and combined for at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Makeย the peanut butter frosting:ย With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until creamy and completely smoothโabout 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium until combined. Add the cream and mix on high until creamy, at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with a knife or with a piping bag/tip. If you’d like to just make 1 kind of frosting and not both, make sure you double the frosting recipe of your choice to make sure there is enough for all cupcakes. To swirl the two frostings like I did,ย here is how I made the swirl frosting. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake. Decorate with banana slices and/or more chocolate chips if desired. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and in the refrigerator up to 5. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cupcakes and frosting 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes covered tightly at room temperature and the frosting covered tightly in the refrigerator.ย Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Fine Mesh Sieve | Piping Bags (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cupcakes wonโt taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade โbuttermilkโ will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Heavy Cream: For the frosting, heavy cream or half-and-half will give your frostings the creamiest texture. You may use milk instead, keeping in mind the frostings won’t be as creamy.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Family loved these cupcakes! My youngest son asked if I could make this his birthday cake.
Holy moly these cupcakes are spectacularly good and good looking to boot!! I actually got 21 cupcakes and am happy for that. This icing is TDF, the cupcakes are moist and banana-chocolaty! Adding to my lineup!
Can I use white whole wheat flour?
Hi Roberta! Using white whole wheat flour in cupcakes will yield a drier cupcake, we don’t recommend it.
I made these for my husband for Fatherโs Day and he said they were exquisite! Thank you!
My friend wants these flavors in a birthday cake, could you turn this into a layer cake?
Hi Susan! This cupcake recipe would fit well in three 6 inch pans – more on that in this post. Or, for a full sized cake, you can use our banana layer cake recipe with our favorite chocolate buttercream frosting.
I bake these cupcakes today & it took me 25 mins before the cakes were cooked when tested with a toothpick. However the cupcakes top feels wet when fully cooled & the texture is more like banana bread. Where did I go wrong? I took care not too over mixed the batter too.