Description
Bake fluffy Banana Cinnamon Pecan Cupcakes with a tangy cream cheese frosting. A comforting, easy recipe for a sweet treat that feels like a warm hug.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cupcake Base:
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (2–3 medium, very ripe) mashed bananas
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60ml) buttermilk
- Flavor Boosters:
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (85g) chopped pecans, lightly toasted
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3–4 cups (360-480g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Garnish:
- Extra chopped pecans for sprinkling
Instructions
- Prep Your Pecans & Oven:: First things first, preheat your oven to a cozy 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. While the oven warms up, I like to lightly toast my chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they smell amazing. This step, honestly, makes such a difference in the nutty flavor of these Banana Cinnamon Pecan Cupcakes. Keep an eye on them though, they can burn fast!
- Whisk Dry Ingredients:: In a medium bowl, grab your whisk and combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Give it a good whisk until everything looks evenly distributed. This is where you want to make sure no clumps are hiding, because nobody wants a bite of just baking soda, am I right?
- Mash Bananas & Combine Wet:: In a separate, larger bowl, mash those gloriously ripe bananas. I usually just use a fork; a few lumps are totally fine, adds character! Then, melt your butter, let it cool a tad, and stir it into the mashed bananas along with the eggs and buttermilk. It should smell wonderfully sweet and creamy already. This is the heart of your Banana Cinnamon Pecan Cupcakes!
- Combine Wet & Dry:: Now, pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. You don’t want to overmix here, or your Banana Cinnamon Pecan Cupcakes will be tough—and who wants tough cupcakes? A few streaks of flour are perfectly okay. This is where I always have to resist the urge to keep stirring!
- Fold in Pecans & Fill Liners:: Gently fold in your toasted chopped pecans. Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. I usually use an ice cream scoop for this; it just makes life easier and keeps the mess down, mostly. You’ll already be smelling that sweet banana-cinnamon goodness!
- Bake & Frost:: Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let them cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, whip up that tangy cream cheese frosting by beating softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Once your Banana Cinnamon Pecan Cupcakes are fully cool, frost away! A little sprinkle of extra pecans on top? Yes please!