BANANA CARAMEL CUPCAKES WITH CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

These Banana Caramel Cupcakes are moist, fluffy, tender and have the most perfect banana flavour! Filled with homemade caramel sauce, rolled in toffee bits and topped with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting — these cupcakes will have your taste buds going crazy!

I’ve been going caramel crazy lately. I made a ton of batches of both my Homemade Caramel Sauce and my Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce and have been topping EVERYTHING with it. I can’t help it. The stuff is addictive.

As great a topping as caramel sauce makes, there was no way in hell that was all I was gonna use it for. So to put my Homemade Caramel Sauce to better use, I swirled some into this banana bread and stuffed some inside these cupcakes. Those recipes were a caramel dream come true, but I still had loads of caramel sauce, so I thought “what the hell? Let’s bake more desserts!”

On top of going crazy for caramel, I’ve been going bananas for bananas! And by bananas, I mean banana desserts. I’m one of those people who hate eating bananas alone, but adore banana-flavoured baked goods. Overripe bananas add so much moisture and natural sweetness to a baked good along with a strong banana flavour that even the biggest banana hater would fall in love with!

I’ve shared a few cupcake recipes on here now, but they have all either been chocolate or vanilla. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever made a cupcake that was outside those 2 flavours. Now that my baking skills have improved, I think it’s time for me to venture on to different flavours. I already had some overripe bananas leftover from my Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe, so it was the perfect opportunity to bake up these moist and fluffy banana cupcakes!

These cupcakes were inspired by my Banana Caramel Layer Cake, but I made a few changes to make them even more amazing. Instead of making a caramel buttercream like I did for the cake, I topped these cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting!

Imagine the most soft and moist banana bread you’ve ever had, with caramel sauce swirled in the batter and caramel flavoured cheesecake stuffed inside. It’s the greatest banana bread ever in the form of a fluffy and flavourful cupcake!

The banana cupcake recipe is just my banana cake recipe cut in half, but you can go with that recipe if you want more cupcakes.

The cupcakes are super light, fluffy and moist with the perfect banana flavour that’s enhanced with cinnamon! They taste just like my perfect banana bread, but with a softer and less dense crumb.

For this recipe, and pretty much every banana baked good, you wanna use overripe bananas. I’m talking nearly black peels, but you also don’t want them to be rotten. Overripe bananas are the key to achieving that sweet banana bread flavour along with a ton of moisture!

I put my bananas into a paper bag and allow them to ripen on top of the refrigerator. If you need to ripen your bananas at last minute, you can do that by preheating your oven to 300F, separating your bananas and placing them on a baking sheet, then popping them in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until peels are black. After this, allow the bananas to cool completely before using.

I used 3 large bananas, because I wanted the banana flavour to really shine next to the other powerful flavours in these cupcakes. To mash the bananas you can either use a fork, or you can purée them in a food processor if you don’t want small chunks of fruit in the finished cupcake.

To make the cupcakes, we cream the butter, and a mixture of white and brown sugar until fluffy. Using a mixture of white and brown sugar provides these cupcakes with the lightest texture and softest crumb. Vegetable oil is also added for moisture, along with sour cream which gives the cupcakes a soft and tender texture.

Once everything is mixed together, you’re gonna end up with a thick and creamy batter with a smell so intoxicating you’ll be tempted to have a taste. Fight the temptation and scoop it into your cupcake liners. It’ll taste better once it’s baked, I promise.

I ate a few on their own since they’re so addictive, but these aren’t muffins, they’re cupcakes which means we have to make them sweet and over the top! I recently made these Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cupcakes that were deliciously filled with a ton of salted caramel sauce, so I thought I’d do the same for these banana cupcakes. Instead of using salted caramel sauce, I made a batch of my regular Homemade Caramel Sauce to fill the cupcakes.

What really takes these cupcakes to a new level is the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting! This frosting is extremely creamy and the slight tang of the cream cheese and sweetness of the caramel pair perfectly with the fluffy banana cupcakes!

This isn’t the stiffest frosting, thanks to the added caramel sauce, but it’s still pipe-able. The decoration of the cupcakes were inspired by these cupcakes and my Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes. For the design, I transferred the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tipand piped a rim around the cupcake. I then used a small offset spatula to smooth the frosting out, then dipped the tops into some crunchy toffee bits. Then using a large star tip, I piped a swirl on top.

To finish the cupcakes off, I drizzled some more caramel sauce on top and garnished with a fresh slice of banana! I recommend placing on the banana slices just before you’re about to serve, because they will get soggy after awhile. You can also top them with banana chips!

Fluffy and moist banana cupcakes with a smooth caramel filling that erupts in your mouth with every bite, a creamy and smooth caramel cream cheese frosting that’s to die for, and a toffee rim that adds amazing crunch and flavour. These are the true definition of cupcake bliss!

Let’s get baking!

Banana Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

 

These Banana Caramel Cupcakes are moist, fluffy, tender and have the most perfect banana flavour! Filled with homemade caramel sauce, rolled in toffee bits and topped with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting — these cupcakes will have your taste buds going crazy!

Author: Dedra

Recipe type: Dessert

Yields: 17 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 recipe of my Homemade Caramel Sauce

Banana Cupcakes:

• 1 and ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 and ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 and ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2-3 overripe large bananas, puréed or mashed (about 1 and ½ cups)

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ½ cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 1 (8 oz.) package full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
• ¼ cup caramel sauce (recipe above)
• ¼ tsp salt

Optional Garnishes:

• Toffee Bits
• Extra Caramel Sauce
• Fresh Sliced Bananas
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Instructions

1. Make one recipe of my Homemade Caramel Sauce and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Meanwhile, make the cupcakes.

For the Banana Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (177°C) and line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners and another pan with 5 liners, this recipe makes about 17 cupcakes. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
4. Add oil, sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.
5. Lower speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time. Make sure to occasionally stop and scrape down the bowl.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients and slowly mix until just combined. Add the banana purée and mix until well combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Batter should be thick.
7. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling them ⅔ way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In a medium bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low until combined.
3. Add caramel sauce and salt and beat until completely smooth and combined.

Assembly of the Banana Caramel Cupcakes:

1. Core the centre of each cupcake using the bottom of a large piping tip, or an apple corer.
2. Using a spoon or piping bag, fill the cupcakes with remaining caramel sauce.
3. Fit one disposable piping bag with a large round tip and a second piping bag with a large star tip. Fill both piping bags with the caramel cream cheese frosting.
4. Using the large round tip, pipe frosting starting from the center towards the outer edge so you have an even layer. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the top and edges. Roll the sides or top in the toffee bits.
5. Using the piping bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe a swirl of frosting on top.
6. Drizzle on more caramel sauce, if desired. Garnish with banana slices. Enjoy!

Notes

- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. 

-Caramel Sauce can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

-Don't top the cupcakes with the banana slices until you're ready to serve. The banana will get soggy after awhile.