The Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream

Ripe bananas are the perfect thing to bake with. Use your sweet, brown bananas in The Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream for your next celebration, which are more flavorful than standard banana bread. These moist banana-flavored cupcakes are topped with sweet maple buttercream, the perfect accompaniment to these teeny cakes!

Banana lovers, I have just the recipe for you! Have you ever had a bunch of bananas sit too long and start to brown too quickly? After a quick google search, you'll see that most websites will refer you to a banana bread recipe to use up those soft nanners.

Banana bread is so 2020. Instead, my Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream are the perfect way to use up your sweet bananas. Plus, they are topped with the most decadent maple-flavored buttercream ever!

Have a birthday party to go to? Grad party? BBQ? Bring these! The little cupcakes taste intensely of banana without too much sweetness. The buttercream sweetens the entire dish perfectly, so don't skip it!

Perfect Cupcake Tips

If you are going out of your way to make these Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream, chances are you like to bake. Baking cupcakes is an exact science, so you want to be sure to measure precisely based on the recipe. Too much packed flour will cause any baked good to be dense, so weighing or precisely measuring your ingredients is essential.

Cake flour leads to a more tender result. The finer, the better.

Do not overfill your cupcakes! Overfilling can lead to sticking and burnt edges, which are not very pretty. Go through the trouble of measuring your batter before adding it to each cupcake liner.

Begin baking at a higher temperature for the first 5 minutes of bake time. Then, lower the oven temperature. This will stop any flatness or sinking after the cakes are baked.

Ensure that your baking ingredients are not expired. While still edible, expired flour, baking powder, and baking soda does not perform well after expiration. Old baking powder will not create the lift necessary in recipes.

Use quality cupcake liners. There is nothing worse than baking these gorgeous cupcakes only to have them stick to their paper. No one wants to eat paper!

Ingredients in The Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream

You only need some pantry staples for this amazing dessert!

• For the Banana Cupcakes:
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled + fully mashed
• 1 ½ cups superfine cake flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon allspice
• 3 tablespoon agave
• ¾ cup almond milk + 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  For the Maple Buttercream:
• 4-5 cups organic powdered sugar
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
  Optional Toppings:
• Your favorite nuts, toasted
• Sliced bananas
• Pure maple syrup, for drizzle

How to Make Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prep the 12-cavity cupcake pan with liners + spray.

In a measuring cup, add the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar. Mix until well combined and let it sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and sea salt. Set aside.

Add the Milk-ACV mixture, vegan butter, mashed bananas, Agave, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, mix until everything is well combined (and smooth) and no lumps are visible. DO NOT OVER-MIX!

Scoop the batter into each cupcake liner (¾ full) and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the FIRST 5 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for another 14-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

Once done, turn off the oven and keep cupcakes inside with the oven door slightly open for about 2 minutes before taking them out.

Let them cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

FOR MAPLE BUTTERCREAM:

In a large bowl, add the powdered sugar and vegan butter together, beating (using a hand-mixer) until it looks ‘peas-like’. Beat in the salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup until buttercream is creamy and fluffy.

**NOTE: If the buttercream is too ‘runny’, add additional powdered sugar (1 Tbsps at a time); if too thick, add additional heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time).**

Add buttercream to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. If desired, top with your favorite nuts, sliced bananas, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Bon Appetit!

Other Recipes You'll Love

If you love these sweet Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream, try out these recipes too!

• The Best Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
• Easy Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes
• Easy Coconut Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
• Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes (Super Fluffy!)

MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?

If you tried this The Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.

The Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream

February 18, 2020 •

By Shanika

4.75 from 8 votes

These Best Banana Cupcakes + Maple Buttercream are a classic flavors that never get old, but together they are even more PERFECT! Made with a soft, fluffy, + moist vegan base, these cupcakes are filled with bold banana flavor, spices, and a bit of crunch from the walnuts, in every bite. Paired with a creamy maple buttercream, these cupcake are must during any season.

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 18 minutes mins

Total Time: 28 minutes mins

Serves: 12 Cupcakes

Units:

US Customary|Metric

Pin It Print It

Ingredients

BANANA CUPCAKES:

• 2 ripe bananas, peeled + fully mashed
• 1 ½ cups Super fine cake flour
• 1 ½ tsps baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon allspice
• 3 Tbsps Agave
• ¾ cup Almond milk + 1 Tbsp!  (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsps melted vegan butter  (See Notes!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

MAPLE BUTTERCREAM:

• 4-5 cups organic powdered sugar
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened at room temp.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

• Your favorite nuts, toasted
• Sliced bananas
• Pure maple syrup, for drizzle

Instructions

BANANA CUPCAKES:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prep the 12-cavity cupcake pan with liners + spray.
• In a measuring cup, add the Almond Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar, mixing until well combined and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and sea salt. Set aside.
• Add the Milk-ACV mixture, vegan butter, mashed bananas, Agave, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, mixing until everything is well combined (and smooth) and no lumps are visible. DO NOT OVER-MIX!
• Scoop the batter into each cupcake liner (¾ full) and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the FIRST 5 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for another 14-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
• Once done, turn off oven and keep cupcakes inside with the oven door slightly open for about 2 minutes before taking them out.
• Let them cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

FOR MAPLE BUTTERCREAM:

• In a large bowl, add the powdered sugar and vegan butter together, beating (using a hand-mixer) until it looks ‘peas-like’. Beat in the salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup until buttercream is creamy and fluffy.
• **NOTE: If buttercream is too ‘runny’, add additional powdered sugar (1 Tbsps at a time); if too thick, add additional heavy cream (1 tablespoon at a time).**
• Add buttercream to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. If desired, top with your favorite nuts, sliced bananas, and drizzle of maple syrup.
• Bon Appetit!

Tips & Tricks

• STORAGE: Best kept if stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days (unfrosted) and 3-4 days when frosted. Also, can be frozen for up to 6 months when unfrosted and thawed.
• GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: To make these cupcakes GF, I recommend using a GF Flour Blend (Bob’s Red Mills has a great version!). **NOTE: If the cupcake mixture is too ‘thin + runny’, simply add additional GF flour, ¼ cup at a time.**
• SWEETENER: If you choose to opt out of Agave, you can always substitute with maple syrup or pure can sugar as well.
• MAKE AHEAD: You can always bake these cupcakes the night or day before and let them cool, tightly wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. The buttercream frosting can also be made prior and tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge as well. When ready to serve, let cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, frost, and enjoy!
• OIL: Instead of melted butter, you can also use vegetable oil or coconut oil, if preferred.
   

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 3g | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 0.3mg

DID YOU MAKE THIS recipe?

Tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea

Love this Post? SHARE!