Banana Caramel Cupcakes ~ If you love bananas, banana bread and caramel sauce, you will go crazy for this cupcake that masquerades as a cake.
Banana Caramel Cupcakes
I made this just a few weeks ago and did not have any luck keeping them around. We ended up eating them all before they could be photographed.
This time around I gorged on three of these little babies straight out of the oven and set aside a few for the family, then hid the rest to photograph.
Subtly sweet and flavorful on its own, my family enjoys these Banana Caramel Cupcakes undressed and plain, as much as they liked them filled and frosted.
In fact, we love this recipe so much I no longer make banana bread. This recipe has all the flavor of traditional banana bread, but is so much lighter in texture and weight. The only downside of making them as cupcakes is –I have no self control and end up eating two to three at a time.
A few notes:
- Make two batches as this recipe does not do well doubled up.
- The tops will flatten out slightly as they cool.
- For a variation, I sometimes throw in bittersweet chocolate bits.
- For the caramel sauce try my homemade version. Click here: http://bit.ly/d6tIvn for the recipe with step-by-step pictures. For an even faster homemade shortcut click here: http://bit.ly/aqXRXF. Lastly, of course you can just buy a jar of caramel sauce, but it’s really so simple and easy to make your own.
- The cupcakes can be stored unfilled and unfrosted for 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Banana Caramel Cupcakes
{Printer Version}
Yields 12 cupcakes
Bake at 350 F. Line 12 regular size cupcake holes or spray holes with non-stick spray.
Ingredients:
Banana Cupcake:
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon allspice
2/3 cups mashed bananas
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoon milk
Filling and Frosting:
1 ½ cups caramel sauce (store bought or see my homemade version here: http://bit.ly/d6tIvn or the homemade cheat version here: http://bit.ly/aqXRXF)
½ cup heavy cream, whipped
2 medium bananas (medium ripened), sliced
1/3 cup curled chocolate
Instructions:
Banana Cupcake:
1. Beat butter, sugar and eggs on medium speed (adjust up to high for hand mixers) until light and fluffy.
2. Sift and stir in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Set aside.
3. Whisk bananas, sour cream and milk until incorporated.
4. Fold banana mixture into remaining ingredients until incorporated.
5. Fill cupcake hole 2/3 and smooth out top with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
7. Cool completely on rack before assembling. Remove baking cups from cake.
Filling and Frosting:
1. Fold 3 tablespoons of caramel into cream. Set aside.
2. Cakes horizontally into thirds.
3. Reassemble cake with remaining caramel sauce and bananas.
4. Cover tops of cupcakes with caramel cream.
5. Using a vegetable peeler shave some chocolate off the edge or you can just use chocolate chips like the picture (I couldn’t find my vegetable peeler). The chocolate will curl on its own as you move the grater against the chocolate.
Beautiful post! I absolutely love the look of this dessert! The sliced bananas between the layers look especially delicious. Yum! I’ll have to try this some time. Definitely a special occasion of some kind. I might have to make one up so I have an excuse to make it. 😉
These are all of my favorite flavors, this looks delicious!!
Honestly, this screams Ingrid. My family and I adore banana desserts and top it with caramel? Well, that just puts us in heaven. I’m definitely going to give this a try and I’m off to check out your caramel posts!
~ingrid
oh man! I don’t have enough bananas to make this! I’ll have to go buy a bunch and wait until they’re ripe enough. I love the layering and the caramel combination. Looks delish!
AAAAH. I need this right now. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
Ooh, these look very tasty. Love the caramel sauce, it makes me want to lick my computer screen.
Love this dessert! I want to dig in now!
Yum yum yum yum YUM!! I love banana caramel cupcakes and I love the way you presented them. Can’t wait to give these a try. Maybe for my husband’s birthday this weekend?!
creative and yummy looking!
Those look super yummy.
This is my idea of cupcake heaven.
Please stop making such amazing stuff. I can’t keep up when I want to make EVERYTHING!
I made these for my daughters birthday and they were a big hit!! What two year old or mommy doesn’t love bananas and caramel. Thanks for the great recipe!!
My middle child turned two today. He’s nicknamed Monkey Boy, so we had an ape theme going on. These were the perfect cupcakes for such a theme. They were wonderful. Thank you!
I made these this weekend – YUM!! My husband suggested that I replace my banana bread recipe with this one.
My only variation: I was too lazy (and had a line of impatient kids waiting for a taste) to make the layers. Instead, I cut a slit in the top of each cupcake and stuffed them with a banana slice and as much caramel as I could squeeze into the whole. It went over very well.
Thanks for the great recipe!!
This look is very attractive. I’ve used it in my bakeries.