Chocolate Banana Cupcakes are what you make with bananas browning on the counter and a bag of chocolate in your pantry just screaming to be used. These fluffy cupcakes with chunks of banana, topped with rich chocolate espresso frosting that tastes like a mini banana split!
Tips for Banana Cupcakes
- Use ripened bananas with brown spotted peels for best flavor
- Mash bananas with a potato masher to leave small banana chunks
- Bananas can also be pureed in a blender for a smoother cake sponge
- White sugar can be substituted with coconut sugar
- Let your cupcakes cool completely on a rack before frosting
Tips for Espresso Chocolate Buttercream
- Use room temperature butter.
- Whip your butter and vanilla extract together until smooth and fluffy before adding cocoa.
- Use dark cocoa for richer flavor.
- Use instant coffee granules dissolved in milk and/or instant coffee granules plain. You can also substitute for 2 tsp full Espresso Powder.
Tips for Frosting your Chocolate Banana Cupcakes
- Use a #1M Open Star Tip to create an intricate swirl
- Trim end of plastic piping bag
- Place tip into bag and push towards open tip, exposing metal star end
- Fill bag with chocolate espresso buttercream
- Twist bag at the larger open end to prevent leaking
- Squeeze buttercream towards decorating tip
- Pipe starting on the edge of cupcake spiraling inwards towards the center
- Finish by continue to squeeze frosting, pressing gently down and then pulling up (releasing pressure on piping bag)to create a chocolate tip on the cupcake.
How to Store Banana Cupcakes
Place frosted cupcakes in an air tight container and keep at room temperature for 4-5 days. Unfrosted cupcakes that are cooled can be wrapped in plastic wrap twice and frozen. Frozen cupcakes will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Let frozen cupcakes warm to room temperature before frosting.
Servings: 12 Cupcakes
Calories: 479kcal
Ingredients
Cupcake
- 1 ½ Cups (192 g) All Purpose Flour
- ¾ Cup (156 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ¾ Cups Mashed Over Ripe Bananas 3-4 bananas
- 2 Eggs
- ½ Cup (8 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter Melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Espresso Buttercream
- 1 Cup (16 Tbsp) Softened Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ Cup (64 g) Dark Cocoa Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder dissolved in 2 Tbsp Almond Milk
- ¼ Cup (60 ml) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 4-5 Cups (500-625 g) Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 F (176 C) and line cupcake pan wells with 12 paper liners.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, stir together mashed bananas, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
- Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and gently stir until combined. Do Not over mix.
- Using a 2 Tbsp ice cream scoop, measure out 1.5 scoops (3 Tbsp) of batter into each cupcake liner. Each liner should be ¾ filled with batter.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Place pancake tray on cooling rack for 5 minutes.
- Then remove each cupcake individually placing on rack. Let cupcake completely cool before frosting.
Make your Chocolate Espresso Buttercream
- In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip on medium high softened butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Add dark cocoa powder, salt, espresso mixture, and whipping cream. Continue on medium speed until incorporated.
- Slowly add powdered sugar a cup at a time until buttercream is firm but creamy. (You may only need 4 cups).
- For thinner frosting add 1 Tbsp of milk at a time and mix again. For thicker frosting add ¼ cup powdered sugar at a time and mix again.
- Scoop buttercream into piping bag with desired decorating tip and pipe onto cupcakes.
Notes
Store cupcakes in an air tight container at room temp for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 479kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Gary Davis
Delicious! I couldn’t get my icing to come out as dark as yours. I used the dark cocoa. Only sub I made was I used espresso powder. Loved them anyway. Thank you.