Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream
Quick and easy banana cupcakes topped with creamy peanut butter frosting. Garnish with sweetened banana chip and chopped peanuts for extra crunch!Yield: makes 1 dozen cupcakes
Servings: 12
Equipment
- electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- standard 12-cup muffin tin
- piping bag with medium star tip, optional
Ingredients
Banana Cupcakes:
- 150 grams granulated sugar (¾ cup)
- 68 grams grapeseed oil (⅓ cup), or other neutral flavored oil*
- 200 grams very ripe mashed bananas , about 2 medium bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 165 grams all-purpose flour (1 ¼ cup)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt* or fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 115 grams buttermilk (½ cup), or milk of choice
Peanut Butter Buttercream:
- 226 grams unsalted butter (1 cup), softened, room temperature
- 345 grams confectioners' sugar (3 cups), also called powdered sugar
- 135 grams creamy peanut butter* (½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoon milk
Toppings:
- 12 pieces sliced banana chips
- 30 grams chopped roasted peanuts* (¼ cup)
Instructions
Banana Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin. Set aside.
- In the bowl of stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer), beat together sugar and oil. Add mashed bananas. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to mixing bowl in three additions, alternating with buttermilk. Begin and finish with flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Evenly divide batter among lined muffin tin. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until cakes are set and done. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Peanut Butter Buttercream:
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), beat butter until smooth.
- Once creamy, add half of confectioners' sugar.Mix until almost combined. Add peanut butter. Mix until incorporated.
- Add remaining confectioners' sugar, salt, and milk. Beat until smooth and creamy. Scrape down sides of the bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
Assembly:
- Prepare piping bag with a medium star tip. Fill piping bag about 3/4 full of peanut butter buttercream. Pipe large rosette over cooled cupcakes.*Alternatively, spread buttercream over cupcakes using a mini offset spatula or spoon.
- Garnish each frosted cupcake with banana chip and top with chopped peanuts.
Notes
Ingredients:
- Neutral oil options include: grape seed oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, refined coconut oil.
- Ripe banana should be spotted. It should be easy to mash with a fork.
- Recipe uses Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Diamond Crystal is less salty and dissolves quickly compared to Morton Kosher salt.
- DO NOT use table salt.
- Any milk of choice can be substituted for buttermilk. Or, "make" buttermilk by mixing 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar to 1/2 cup cow's milk.
- For best results, use a self-stable homogenous (no-stir) smooth peanut butter like Skippy or Jif.
- Banana chips are deep-fried banana slices. There are sweetened and unsweetened versions.
- Any kind of roasted peanuts work include: dry roasted, honey roasted, or candied peanuts.
- Keep frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for longer storage, up to 3 days. Warm to room temperature before eating.
Nutrition
Calories: 511kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 525IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg