Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Imagine your favorite sweet, delicious banana bread batter scooped into a cupcake mold, baked and then topped with a vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and toffee crumbles (yes more toffee–I can’t be trusted with an open bag).

I like to think these are still healthy.

Since they are banana bread and all.

I also like to think that eating half of the cream cheese frosting from a spoon is also healthy. Because, really, I love me some cream cheese frosting. And who says you can’t eat cupcakes for breakfast?

These cupcakes were born from two black bananas and the intense craving for banana bread, but also frosting at the same time.

It was seven thirty a.m.

What can I say? I’m a woman that knows what she wants.

So I started baking. In my pajamas and leopard print slippers. And with a cup of Earl Grey in hand. The only time I paused was to wipe away a smear of banana off of my extra-thick glasses.

Finally, only 40 minutes later, I had victory.

If you like banana bread, you’ll LOVE these. And the cream cheese frosting just puts them over the top. The cupcakes are more bread-like than these, but super moist from the ripe bananas and buttermilk. In fact, they might be my new favorite cupcake of choice!

They’re great because they’re not over-the-top sweet…just like banana bread. The perfect vehicle for super rich and sweet frosting!

Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Print this recipe!

2 1/3 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 extra-ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

for cream cheese frosting:

1 stick butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

seeds of one vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract but if you can get the vanilla bean, do that..it makes a big difference!)

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease (or line) a cupcake pan.

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy and then add the eggs, one at time, beating after each addition.

In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana with the vanilla and buttermilk and stir well until combined.

In a larger bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon).

Add the wet and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed butter, mixing well after each addition. This works best if you have a Kitchen Aid and keep it running on low the whole time.

Fill muffin tins about 3/4th of the way full (I just about fill mine up every time) and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

Let cool completely while you make the frosting.

For the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla bean seeds and powdered sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy.

Top cupcakes with toffee bits if you like—I highly recommend it!

Monday morning suddenly got a whole lot sweeter.

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