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Topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, these fluffy Banana Cupcakes are simply irresistible in every way.

When I’m looking for a simple, sweet, yet subtle treat, these Banana Cupcakes are the perfect solution. They’re more dessert-like than our Banana Muffins and not as dense as Banana Bread, but they still have that delicious banana flavor everyone loves!

Banana cupcakes served on a cake stand and topped with frosting and banana slices.


a unique cupcake recipe

Cupcakes are always a favorite at our house, and these Easy Banana Cupcakes are both unique, delicious, and simply the BEST I’ve ever tried.

These cupcakes are so fluffy, light, and airy! They have a great banana flavor without being dense like Banana Bread, or dry like cupcakes can sometimes be.

The cinnamon cream cheese frosting is rich and velvety smooth. It goes perfectly with the cake crumb and the flavors complement each other well.

Since we love bananas, you better believe we’re baking with them all the time, especially when we have over-ripe bananas.

How to make Banana Cupcakes

These cupcakes take a little bit of time, especially when beating the egg whites, but they’re so good it’s worth it!

PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two muffin tins by lining them with paper liners.

EGG WHITES. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then set aside.

WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas, egg yolks, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Gently fold in ⅓ of the egg white mixture.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

COMBINE. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

BAKE. Fill paper baking cups half full and bake 11-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool completely.

Batter for banana cupcakes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

BEAT. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon.

If necessary, add more powdered sugar until the frosting is firm enough to hold its shape but still light and fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Frosting. Pipe the frosting on using an actual piping bag and tip, or cut a corner off a Ziploc bag and use it as a piping bag. Of course, spreading it on with a knife works just fine, too.

Batter for banana cupcakes in liners ready to be baked.

Recipe Tips

Room temperature. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This will ensure they mix well.

Stiff peaks. When whipping the egg whites you want to reach the “stiff peaks” stage. As they thicken, lift the whisk out of the whites. A peak should form.

  • If the peak melts back into the whites, keep whipping it.
  • If the peak holds its shape, it is ready to use. 

Keep cupcakes from sticking to the liners. Purchasing a high-quality non-stick liner will help keep the cupcake from peeling off along with the liner or use reusable silicone liners. 

Avoid sticky tops. Sticky tops can form on unfrosted cupcakes when there is too much moisture in the storage container.

Reduce this by cooling them completely on a wire rack before storing them or placing a paper towel in the container to help absorb any extra moisture.

Bananan cupcakes baked in liners.

Ingredient Tips

How to ripen bananas quickly. This recipe requires ripened bananas. Ripen bananas quickly by placing them in a brown paper bag along with an apple. Store it on the counter.

To ripen even faster, bake them.

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  • Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place the bananas, peel on, on the sheet.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes. The peel will turn black and the bananas will become soft to the touch.

Cake flour. Cake flour produces a silky crumb. If you don’t have cake flour use all-purpose flour in the recipe or make your own cake flour.

Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into a 1-cup measuring cup. Fill it the rest of the way up with all-purpose flour. Level the top. Dump the contents of the measuring cup into a bowl and use a whisk to sift them together. 

Variations

Garnish. Leave the garnish off, or add a fresh banana slice (right before serving, so they don’t get brown), banana chips (dried bananas), or chopped nuts.

Additions. These are amazing just as they are, but to switch it up, add ¾ cup of chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or mini chocolate chips to the batter.

Mini cupcakes. Use this recipe to make mini Banana Cupcakes. Use a mini cupcake tin and mini cupcake liners. Reduce the bake time to 8-11 minutes. 

Banana cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting served on a plate.

Storing Info

STORE. Frosted Banana Bread Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. They taste even better after the flavors meld together!

FREEZE. Banana Cupcakes are great for freezing, as long as they have not been frosted!

Cool completely and put them in an airtight container or freezer storage bag for a couple of months. When you’re ready to use them, thaw in the fridge overnight. Frost them once they have thawed.

The frosting can be stored in a separate container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before using.

Banana cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting served on a cake stand.

Recipe FAQ

What is the secret to super moist cupcakes?

Not overmixing plays a big part, but so do the ingredients. The best thing about these cupcakes is the banana naturally creates an incredibly moist cupcake!

What other flavor frostings can be used for these banana cupcakes?

The recipe card gives directions to make a delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting. We love the hint of cinnamon, but you can leave it out for a plain cream cheese frosting, or use other types of frosting like Vanilla Buttercream, Strawberry Frosting, or Chocolate Buttercream

For more banana recipes:

4.92 from 37 votes

Banana Cupcake Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, these fluffy Banana Cupcakes are simply irresistible in every way.
Servings: 24
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes
Total: 21 minutes

Ingredients 

Cupcake

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas from 3-4 bananas
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour (all-purpose flour can also be substituted)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Frosting

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two muffin tins by lining them with paper liners.
  • Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then set aside.
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas, egg yolks, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Gently fold in ⅓ of the egg white mixture.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
  • Fill paper baking cups half full and bake 11-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool completely.
  • To make the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon.
  • If necessary, add more powdered sugar until the frosting is firm enough to hold its shape but still light and fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 137mg, Potassium: 118mg, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 325IU, Vitamin C: 1.2mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

Be sure to go to The Baker Upstairs for more great recipes from Alicia.



About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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69 Comments

  1. Hi! I just made these for the first time but when I took them out of the oven, they were super soft and the tops sank in when they cooled. Please tell me what I did wrong?! They look so good!

    1. Sometimes if the batter gets overmixed, the tops will sink in when cooling. So when mixing the cupcakes, you’ll want to mix the dry and wet ingredients together until just combined. Hopefully that helps. And hopefully they still tasted delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    Just made them today, and they were absolutely delicious! Tastes very good when you add chocolate chips to the batter.

  3. 5 stars
    I don’t know what was more delicious- the moist, flavorful cupcakes, or the to-die-for cinnamon cream cheese frosting! They both make for a dream pairing- even better the next day!