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Overhead photo of banana cupcakes with chocolate buttercream on a wooden board
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5 from 18 votes

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

These Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream are moist and flavorful and the perfect recipe for your overripe bananas!

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time38 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cupcakes
Servings: 16 cupcakes
Calories: 448kcal
Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Ingredients

Banana Cupcakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups overripe bananas, mashed

Chocolate Buttercream

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 3 Tbsp. whole milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • finely chopped walnuts, for sprinkling, if desired

Instructions

Banana Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended. Add vanilla and continue to beat for an additional 3 minutes at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as needed. Stir in half the flour and mix until combined, then stir in the buttermilk and then the remaining flour mixture. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the bananas.
  • Spoon the batter into the liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Repeat until all batter is done. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
  • Frost cupcakes with chocolate buttercream. I used a Wilton 2D tip to pipe the rose. Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts, if desired. Cupcakes will keep in airtight container in refrigerator for 3 days.

Chocolate Buttercream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sifted confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt and vanilla and continue to beat on low speed for 1 minute and then increase the speed to high and continue to beat for 2 minutes. If frosting is too thick, add more milk. If it's too thin, add more confectioners' sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg