These banoffee cupcakes are made with moist banana cake filled with caramel sauce and topped with fluffy banana cream cheese frosting. They’re rich and decadent and the perfect treat!
There are many different versions of banoffee cupcakes out there, and I’ve tried pretty much all of them. It’s hard to go wrong with flavors like banana and toffee, so while the ones I tried were good, I still had my own vision for these cupcakes.
For a prominent banana flavor, I used bananas both for the base and frosting. At first I wasn’t sure about using fresh bananas for the frosting because I thought it may turn black, but the frosting kept its beautiful bright color for several days. As for the caramel flavor, I found that it’s best to just use a can of dulce de leche or caramel (store-bought is perfect) to fill the cupcakes with, which gives an intense flavor that goes amazing with all that banana goodness. If you want to add dulce de leche to the frosting as well, add a few teaspoons of it along with the banana puree.
I used a whipped mascarpone (or cream cheese) frosting because I really wanted it to replicate the flavors of banoffee pie. Because of the frosting, the cupcakes should be kept in the fridge, and the good news is that they stayed moist for several days this way. You can serve it at room temperature, just make sure it’s not sitting under direct sun or that the temperature isn’t too warm so they won’t melt.
How to make banoffee cupcakes
Start by baking the cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract and beat. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk, then add the rest of the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Do not overmix—the less you mix, the lighter the cupcakes will be. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Note: It’s important for the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and topping with frosting, otherwise both will melt and absorb into the cake.
Make the frosting
- In a mixer bowl, place heavy cream, mascarpone or cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Add banana puree and beat just until stiff peaks form and mixture is smooth.
- Don’t overbeat so it won’t become grainy.
Assembling the banoffee cupcakes
- Core each cupcake with a cupcake or apple corer, or use a teaspoon to scoop out holes, leaving a well in the center of the cupcake. Place dulce de leche or caramel sauce in a a pastry bag, cut off the corner of the bag, and fill the holes (or just use a teaspoon to fill it instead).
- To frost the cupcakes, use a pastry bag and a star tip, or you can simply use a knife or a large spoon to spread the frosting on top.
- Garnish with more dulce de leche or caramel sauce and banana chips, if desired.
More of my favorite cupcake recipes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes: Moist and perfectly spiced, these cupcakes are topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting.
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes: The best way to eat your veggies!
- Snickers Cupcakes: These taste just like a Snickers candy bar but in delicious cupcake form.
- Funfetti Cupcakes: The best vanilla cupcakes made with lots of colorful sprinkles.
Banoffee Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick/115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk (or water)
- ¼ cup (40 g) chocolate chip
Filling:
- ⅓ cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
Whipped Mascarpone Cream Frosting:
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, chilled
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese (or block cream cheese)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (100g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 small banana (¼ cup puree)
- banana chips , for garnish, optional
Instructions
-
To make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
-
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
-
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract and beat. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk, then add the rest of the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Do not overmix—the less you mix, the lighter the cupcakes will be. Fold in chocolate chips.
-
Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
-
Fill the cupcakes:
Core each cupcake with a cupcake or apple corer, or use a teaspoon to scoop out holes, leaving a well in the center of the cupcake. Place dulce de leche (or caramel sauce) in a a pastry bag, cut off the corner of the bag, and fill the holes (or just use a teaspoon to fill it instead).
-
To make the frosting: In a mixer bowl, place heavy cream, cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Add banana puree and beat just until stiff peaks form and mixture is smooth. Don’t overbeat so it won’t become grainy. Frost cupcakes immediately after making the frosting. Decorate with banana chips or crushed cookies if desired.
-
Cupcakes can be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw, still covered, on the counter or overnight in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
*If you want to give the frosting a caramely flavor, you can add a few teaspoons of dulce de leche or caramel sauce to the frosting.
