These homemade banana cupcakes are soft, moist, and NO EGGS! The recipe is for a mini cupcake but equally good (and easy) as a full size cupcake. A delicious snack, treat, or dessert for family and friends.
We love banana bread. We love cupcakes. We love mini bite sized food. So, obviously we needed a mini banana cupcake to love - and this is it! PLUS #eggfree.
While we made these moist banana cupcakes mini size, they can also be a full sized cupcake or 8 inch cake.
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How to Make Banana Cupcakes From Scratch
Making a cupcake (or cake) from scratch is easy and fast and the results are SO. GOOD. Even more importantly, they are fun to make! A few things to note about this homemade banana cupcake recipe.
- Use a medium to large banana. You want at least 113 grams of banana (after it is peeled) for this recipe. Using a little more is not a problem, but using a lot less may give you a drier cupcake with less banana flavor.
- Apple butter (or applesauce) replaces the egg in this recipe. Eggs contribute to the overall texture as well as act as a leavening agent in baked goods. Apple butter helps bind ingredients together just like eggs.
- We used cupcake liners in our mini muffin tins for these cupcakes. If your cupcake liners sometimes stick to the cupcake, give the liners a very quick spritz with cooking spray. We also love using our silicone mini muffin pans with no liners when making this banana cupcakes recipe.
- This easy banana cupcakes recipe makes 36 mini cupcakes, 10-12 full sized cupcakes, or one 8 inch cake. Adjust the baking time for larger sized cupcakes or cakes. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Equipment We Used
We used our trusty hand mixer when mixing the batter. It makes combining the banana and apple butter with the other ingredients so easy and fast. A stand mixer or mixing by hand will both also work.
We spread the frosting on with the back of a spoon. To pipe the frosting on we recommend a piping bag and tips. For some great frosting tips see this post on How to Frost the Perfect Cupcake.
Our Favorite Riffs
Add your own spin to these cupcakes. Add some toasted chopped walnuts to the batter. Hide a chocolate surprise in the middle of each cupcake by pressing a piece of chocolate bar or a few chocolate chips into the middle of each cupcake before baking. Press a few fresh blueberries into the middle of each mini cupcake.
We use this easy, delicious, homemade apple butter from our friends at Life As A Strawberry for the eggs in these cupcakes. We make a few batches of the apple butter during apple season and freeze in small containers to use all year long. Applesauce also works fine in this recipe. If using a store purchased applesauce, select one with little (or no) sugar and no additional flavors. For those not wanting an egg free version, use one whole egg in place of the apple butter.
We are making these banana cupcakes without buttermilk. We use a combination of vinegar and milk instead. If you have some buttermilk you want to use up replace the milk and vinegar in the recipe with the buttermilk.
Banana Cupcake Frosting
We love the subtle compliment of cinnamon in the buttercream frosting with these banana apple cupcakes. Other frostings like this chocolate fudge frosting, cream cheese frosting, or peanut butter frosting are equally delicious.
Decorating Banana Cupcakes
We eat these cupcakes so fast we have never made it to the 'make these look pretty' phase! If you want to amp up the pretty factor on these cupcakes this post, 14 ways to decorate cupcakes like a pro has some great, easy ideas to try.
How to Store These Cupcakes
Cupcakes begin to dry out when they are stored on the counter too long. These cupcakes will last in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. If you want to store them longer consider freezing them.
You can freeze these banana cupcakes?
ABSOLUTELY! We love making things ahead of when they are needed and freezing them. Follow a few basic steps for the best results if freezing these (or any) cupcakes.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely. Once they are totally cool, store in an airtight container and freeze for up to two weeks.
- If freezing the cupcakes for longer than a few weeks, we recommend wrapping the cupcakes tight in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container and freeze. This will help prevent freezer burn. NOTE: We don't like using single use plastic but haven't found a better solution for wrapping the cupcakes. We keep experimenting and will update this when we find a good solution.
- Freeze cupcakes before frosting. While cupcakes can be frozen after they are frosted, we like freezing the cupcakes before frosting them, especially if they are going to be frozen for any longer than a week or two. Frosting the cupcakes after thawing and before serving helps keep the frosting fresher.
- Thaw cupcakes on the counter at room temperature. Once thawed, frost them and enjoy!
For more info on how to freeze (and store) cupcakes, check out - Cupcakes 104: How to Store and Freeze Cupcakes.
Try Our Other Favorite Sweet Recipes
Some Common FAQ's about Banana Cupcakes
In general, it is all about the ratios of ingredients. Muffins are usually heavier and more dense than cupcakes. To make cupcakes sweeter plus light and airy they may have less flour and more oil, sugar, and leavening than muffins.
Of course! They are great as a mini cupcake (because we love mini bite sized food) or a full size cupcake. You may have to increase the bake time for full size cupcakes.
Bananas can be frozen with or without the peels. We like peeling them first because, truthfully, we don't like the squishy feeling of the peel when we go to use the banana. Plus, since they are so mushy, it is harder to peel them after they thaw. Just peel them, wrap them, and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Remove the number of bananas needed for the recipe, thaw (20-30 minutes on the counter) and add to the recipe. We freeze our bananas whole since we almost always use a whole banana in a recipe. Freezing them in pieces also works great.
📖 Recipe
Eggless Mini Banana Cupcakes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 36 mini cupcakes 1x
Description
These mini banana cupcakes are light, moist, airy, and EGGLESS!
Ingredients
Banana Cupcake
- 3 Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (about 113 grams)
- ¼ cup apple butter (or applesauce) (70 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (13 grams)
- ⅓ cup milk (85 grams)
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-2 Tablespoon milk
- 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar (plus or minus, depending on what kind of consistency you want. We like our frosting pretty thick because it holds up well when it’s piped or it’s warm outside)
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add banana, apple butter, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, apple cider vinegar, and milk. Stir until mixed.
- Use a small cookie scoop (or spoon) to fill lined mini cupcake tins until about ⅔ full, do not overfill.
- Bake cupcakes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 11-13 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove cooked cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Make the Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium-large mixing bowl, cream together room temperature butter, cinnamon, and 1 cup powdered sugar. (This is easy to do by hand but also works great using a hand mixer).
- Add 1 Tablespoon milk and another ½ cup powdered sugar and mix well.
- Add remaining milk and stir.
- Add remaining powdered sugar as needed until your frosting has achieved your desired consistency. (We usually use all 2 cups, sometimes more.)
- Frost your cupcakes and dig in!
Notes
Bananas. One medium banana is about 113 grams. Using a little more than this won't hurt. Using less will reduce the banana flavor and, if a lot less, may make your cupcake a little drier. If your bananas are extremely small you may need two bananas.
Frosting. If the frosting is too thick, add extra milk in ½ teaspoon increments until you reach the desired consistency. It takes very little milk to suddenly become too much! Add too much milk? Add another spoonful of powdered sugar and stir.
This frosting recipe makes enough frosting to spread on 24-30 mini cupcakes with a spoon or knife. If you want to pipe the frosting, consider doubling the recipe.
Additions. Add a surprise in each cupcake. Press a piece of chocolate, a few chocolate chips, or a few fresh blueberries into each cupcake before baking. Make sure they are covered with batter if you want them to be hidden.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cupcake
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 68.9 mg
- Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.1 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 2.7 mg
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