Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

If you love the combination of sweet bananas and creamy peanut butter, then these banana cupcakes are the perfect decadent treat for you. Prepared with a moist banana cake batter made with lots of ripe bananas, sour cream and brown sugar, then topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting plus crushed buttered toffee peanuts, this banana cupcakes recipe is an irresistible goody to sink your teeth into!

Going Bananas Over Banana Cupcakes

We love bananas in our household, going through quite a few bunches every week to add into our morning oatmeal or afternoon bowls of fresh fruit.

Bananas are a fantastic pick-me-up that we always keep on hand, filled with natural sweetness which gives a boost to so many things.

And when our extra bananas begin to get a little too ripe, I like to use 'em up by baking them into our favorite cranberry banana bread, or my banana nut muffins, the perfect snack.

But when we're craving a slightly more decadent slant to a banana-infused dessert, one kissed with the flavor of peanut butter, I bake up these delicious banana cupcakes topped with a rich peanut butter and cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of crushed buttered toffee peanuts.

So if you're like me and just love the flavor of bananas and peanut butter together, then this banana cupcakes recipe is definitely one for your recipe tin to bake up when you have some ripe bananas on hand and craving a decadent departure from typical banana bread!

My Recipe for Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

These banana cupcakes are prepared with a simple cake batter that's richer than traditional banana bread, which makes these a fun treat.

I like to use three very ripe bananas in this batter, and also add in some oil, a few eggs, lots of vanilla, brown sugar as well as granulated sugar, plus sour cream for an extra moist and tender crumb.

And for the creamy frosting, I use a combination of cream cheese, softened butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. This makes for a frosting that is nice and rich, and pairs really deliciously with the banana cupcakes.

I love to pipe the frosting on nice and high, but you can just as easily dollop it on and spread with a small offset spatula to frost!

Here's a sneak peek at my banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I whisk together my dry ingredients to have ready.
2. Next, I add my bananas and other wet ingredients to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix to combine.
3. The, add in the dry ingredients just until blended.
4. Next, I spoon the batter into prepared cupcake tin lined with paper cups, and bake for a short while until the cupcakes are baked through.
5. While the cupcakes cool, I prepare my peanut butter frosting by mixing together my cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar until rich and creamy. (I keep the frosting in the fridge if kitchen is warm.)
6. To finish, I pipe or spread some of the peanut butter frosting generously onto each cupcake, and finish with a sprinkle of buttered toffee (or honey roasted) crushed peanuts, perhaps a sprinkle of sparkly edible stars, if feeling whimsical.

(Fun story: We originally named these cupcakes "Velvet Elvis Cupcakes" because evidently "The King" thought that peanut butter and banana was a match made in heaven as well! Perhaps you'll even notice how our original pictures have a kind of "star quality" to them, if you will...)

Recipe

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These moist and decadent banana cupcakes are topped with peanut butter-cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of buttered toffee peanuts!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Nutrition Info: 331 calories (per banana cupcake)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 38 minutes

Banana Cupcakes Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, room temp
• ½ cup sour cream, room temp
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup buttered toffee (or honey roasted) peanuts, finely crushed
• Edible sparkly stars, optional garnish

Peanut Butter Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Small pinch of salt
• 4 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted of lumps

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your cupcake ingredients according to the ingredient list to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat oven to 350°, and line 24 cupcake tin wells with papers, then lightly mist them with cooking spray.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl, and set those dry ingredients aside for a moment.
4. Next, to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the mashed bananas, along with the brown and granulated sugars, and mix until combined.
5. Add in the oil, the eggs, the sour cream and the vanilla, and mix those in until incorporated.
6. Then, add the dry ingredients to the batter in 2 to 3 increments, and mix those in just until well blended, but do not over mix.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared paper-lined baking cups, filling them about half-way, and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.
8. Remove the cupcakes from the tins out and allow them to completely cool on a wire rack.
9. While the banana cupcakes cool, gather and prep all of your peanut butter frosting ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
10. To prepare the frosting, add the cream the cream cheese, softened butter, peanut butter, vanilla and pinch of salt to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix together to combine and blend. Then, slowly add the powdered sugar in increments, and beat until fluffy/creamy and well-blended. (Place the frosting into fridge to set just a little bit, if needed.)
11. To finish the cupcakes, pipe or spread a generous amount of the peanut butter frosting over each banana cupcake, and garnish with a sprinkle of the crushed buttered toffee (or honey roasted) peanuts.

Tips & Tidbits for my Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting recipe:

• Very ripe bananas: When it comes to making these banana cupcakes, or any other banana-infused baked treat, using extra ripe bananas (nicely spotty and brown!) is the best way to go. When they're extra ripe, they're very soft and easy to mash up nice and smooth, plus they're sweeter and more aromatic, perfect for a baked good.
• Sour cream for richness and moist texture: I love sour cream in this banana cupcakes batter, but if you don't have any, yet have some buttermilk handy instead, that'll work just fine too. The tanginess of buttermilk adds flavor and helps to create a moist and tender crumb.
• Keep the frosting cool if the kitchen is warm: As with any frosting, this peanut butter and cream cheese frosting can get quite soft if kept out in a warm kitchen. I like to whip it up until creamy, then pop it back into the fridge to keep cold until ready to frost. You can make it ahead as well, and if it gets too firm in the fridge, allow it to sit for a few minutes at room temp, then re-whip if necessary to make it creamy again.
• Make a layer or sheet banana cake instead: If you prefer to make a layer or sheet cake out this recipe, that's fun too! You can use a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, or a couple of 8 by 8 inch cake pans, or even a single 10 inch cake pan.

Craving more cozy banana treats? Check out my recipe for Banana Donuts, Cranberry Banana Bread, Banana Nut Muffins, or my recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2014, and has been updated with even more love!