Caramel/ Cupcakes/ Dessert/ Fruit Desserts

Banoffee Cupcakes

February 14, 2022

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!

Banoffee Cupcakes

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.

Banoffee Cupcakes

How to make banoffee cupcakes

Start by baking the cupcakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Don’t overbeat so it won’t become grainy.
Banoffee Cupcakes

Assembling the banoffee cupcakes

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. Garnish with more dulce de leche or caramel sauce and banana chips, if desired.
Banoffee Cupcakes

More of my favorite cupcake recipes

4.67 from 3 votes
Banoffee Cupcakes
Banoffee Cupcakes
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
YIELD: 14 cupcakes
 
Full of caramel and banana flavor, these banoffee cupcakes are moist, creamy, and the best I’ve ever tried!

Ingredients
Cupcakes:
  • cups (175g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 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
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk (or water)
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) chocolate chip
Filling:
  • 1/3 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 (1/4 cup puree)
  • banana chips , for garnish, optional
Instructions
  1. To make the cupcakes:

    Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.

  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. 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.

  4. 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.
  5. 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).

  6. 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.
  7. 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. 

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11 Comments

  • Reply
    Eden Passante
    January 18, 2017 at 10:59 pm

    Wow! What an amazing flavor combination! These look unbelievable!

  • Reply
    Luvi
    June 8, 2018 at 9:26 pm

    I tried your Banoffee Cupcakes and brought them to work. It was a hit. Everybody loved them. Thank you for the recipe. I have a question though. How come your dulce de leche is runny/flowing? How can I make it like that? The dulce de leche from the can wasn’t like that. Please, how can I make it flowing/runny?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      June 10, 2018 at 8:15 am

      I’m so glad you like it! I use store-bought dulce de leche, and the consistency can be different from one brand to another. It’s ok if it’s thick though. You can warm it up a bit before filling the cupcakes.

  • Reply
    Sara
    July 22, 2018 at 1:16 am

    Hi Shiran, I made your cupcakes and they turned out really good. However, the frosting was a mess. For some reason it wouldn’t get stiff and once it got slightly stiff it would get liquidy again. I used Mascarpone cheese and all the ingredients you listed at the right measurements. What do think went wrong? Thank you!

    • Reply
      Shiran
      July 23, 2018 at 1:26 pm

      Hi Sara, it sounds like the cream was over whipped. It needs to be whipped just until the frosting holds its shape. It won’t be as stiff as buttercream, it has softer texture. Once the cream is over whipped, it will break and become liquid. Also, make sure the heavy cream is very cold when you use it.

  • Reply
    Nabila
    September 9, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    Can you use chocolate frosting on these cupcakes?

    • Reply
      Shiran
      September 10, 2018 at 7:23 am

      You can use any frosting that you think will work with the flavors.

      • Reply
        Kristina
        October 5, 2018 at 1:07 am

        OMG you really had to ask if you could use a different frosting?

  • Reply
    Sophie
    September 13, 2018 at 8:03 am

    Oh my gosh, these cupcakes are divine! I made them yesterday as a surprise for my partner who loves banoffee pie. I left out the chocolate chips and instead grated dark chocolate on top for the decoration. They came out perfectly and I love the surprise caramel centres. Thank you for giving measurements in grams/mililitres as well as cups – so useful for us Brits!

  • Reply
    Hanna
    October 3, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    Hi Shiran, I just made these cupcakes and the cake turned out perfectly, very nice. But I had problems with the frosting, I followed the steps all the way through but when I added the banana, the frosting started becoming softer instead of having stiff peaks and the more I whipped it the more liquidy it became. As a last resort, I added more cream cheese as you said the cheese helps stabilise the frosting but it didn’t work and I had to spoon it on. What do you think went wrong, thank you.

    • Reply
      Shiran
      October 4, 2020 at 2:42 am

      Heavy cream can break quickly once it reaches soft peaks and that’s probably why the mixture became liquid. After whisking it a little bit, gently add the banana and keep whisking just until it’s stable enough. It won’t be very stiff like buttercream.

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