Incredible Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes With Chocolate Frosting

I must apologize in advance because these pictures do not do these cupcakes justice! Seriously, these banana chocolate cupcakes are so insanely delicious and I just couldn’t get a good picture of them

They’re soft, moist, banana-y and chocolate-y enough in all the right places. Definitely my favourite banana cupcake right here!

This is also my favourite chocolate frosting 🙂 I actually wanted to share it on top of a chocolate cupcake but this is what happened, funny how things have a way of working out on their own 😉

I filled the cupcake batter, which is very fluffy and creamy by the way, with chopped up chunks of chocolate 🙂 It goes so well with the moist banana and brown sugar flavours, I just love it! 🙂

For this recipe, I used the reverse creaming method which is one of my favourite techniques for cakes and cupcakes:

• Firstly I find that using this technique brings out the delicious buttery flavour of the butter (obviously 🙂 ) which is very important or else there is no point using butter!
• Secondly the batter is so fluffy and creamy, it’s almost like mousse so you just know your cake is going to be tender 🙂
• Third and most important (to me 😉 ) is that (although easier with one) you don’t need a mixer to achieve this delicious and light cake texture without having to cream the butter and sugar, which is usually the technique that results in such a beautiful texture.

I think that banana and chocolate is one of the best flavour combinations out there so topping these cupcakes with a chocolate frosting was a no brainer 🙂

This chocolate frosting is ohh so good! Creamy, fluffy and most importantly chocolate-y without being too sweet! It’s taken me a while to figure out my favourite chocolate frosting and right after dark chocolate frosting, this is parallel with my chocolate fudge frosting (coming soon 😉 )

Try these cupcakes! Seriously you’ll be in for a treat 🙂

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes With Chocolate Frosting

Makes 12 – 18 cupcakes depending on cupcake cup size

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (190gms) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
• Optional: pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 cup (100gms) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (50gms) soft brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100gms) softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 bananas, mashed (1 scant cup)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (125mls) or sour cream*
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks

For the chocolate frosting:

• 1/2 cup (100gms) salted butter
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a muffin tray with cupcake cups.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Add in both sugars and mix well.
3. Chop up butter into cubes and add to the flour/sugar mix. Whisk well to incorporate butter into the flour mix until all the butter is mixed in and the mixture resembles coarse sand. (You can even use your hand for this step).
4. Add in the eggs one at a time whisking well between each addition. Make sure each egg is well mixed in before adding the next. Add in vanilla and whisk well until the batter is fluffy and light.
5. Add in the mashed bananas. Whisk well then pour in the buttermilk.
6. Whisk batter until everything is combined, fold in about 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Divide batter between cupcake cups taking care not to over fill the cups (2/3 full is good). Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of each cupcake cup.
7. Bake cupcakes until toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, 15 – 18 minutes. Cool on wire rack before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. Whisk butter for about a minute until creamy.
2. Add in sifted icing sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk slowly until mixture is combined then increase speed and whisk for 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Add in cream and whisk for another minute or two until fluffy.
4. Add in vanilla to taste.

Top cooled cupcakes with frosting and sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top if desired 🙂

*For a buttermilk substitute use 1/4 cup sour cream or yoghurt mixed with 1/4 cup milk. If adding chocolate chips, I recommend using the stated amount of sour cream as the batter will be thicker so the chips won’t sink.

Recipe by the dutch baker.