Banana Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting are made from scratch with simple ingredients! These soft and sweet banana cupcakes are topped with a luscious lemon frosting that is absolutely amazing!
A delicious fluffy banana cupcake with buttercream frosting is a combination of flavors you didn’t know you needed! The cupcake is light and fluffy, it stays moist for days, and the lemon buttercream frosting takes this treats to the next level!
Banana Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
If you are looking for an easy recipe to use those over ripe bananas on your counter and wanting to stray away from the common banana bread, this is the recipe for you! These banana cupcakes are so simple to make, you will most likely find that the ingredients needed are already in your kitchen. The lemon buttercream frosting that tops each golden cupcake is an added tasty bonus, and is incredibly easy to make too! Since banana bread is the common way to use up old bananas, your family will be so excited to see cupcakes instead!
Tips for making Banana Cupcakes with Frosting
This banana muffin batter requires buttermilk as an ingredient, but if you do not want to run to the store or don’t have any on hand, you can use regular milk and a teaspoon of lemon juice as a replacement. Also, a citrus zester or microplane helps to cut down on the effort needed for getting that perfect amount of zest for a recipe.
How ripe should bananas be for banana cupcakes?
You want your bananas to no longer have any visible signs of greenness (except for maybe a little around the stem). The riper a banana gets, the darker in color it becomes and the sweeter they are. You can use a yellow banana with a few brown spots or wait for it to fully brown and possibly blacken if you want a super sweet banana flavor.
What’s the difference between a banana cupcake and a muffin?
Cupcakes are lighter and fluffier in texture whereas banana muffin is normally denser. Both are sweet and delicious, but only one is typically covered in frosting or a glaze. Muffins are also seen as healthier, making them the perfect breakfast, whereas cupcakes are a dessert.
Banana Cupcake Ingredients
-Flour: You will need 2 1/2 cups flour for the base of this cupcake recipe.
-Bananas: Using 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups), will give these cupcakes the perfect banana flavor.
-Sugar: Adding 1 1/4 cups sugar provides just the right amount of sweetness to these treats.
-Butter: You need 1/2 cup butter, softened, for these cupcakes to be nice and rich in flavor.
-Buttermilk: Use 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup regular milk + 1 tsp lemon juice) to give these cupcakes a nice moist and soft texture.
-Baking soda: You will want to use 1 1/2 tsp baking soda to help the cake to rise while baking.
-Baking powder: Using 1 tsp baking powder will help with the leavening process.
-Salt: Adding in 1 tsp salt will enhance all the wonderful flavors in this recipe.
-Eggs: You need 2 eggs to help bind the dough together well.
-Vanilla extract: Use 2 tsp vanilla extract for a lovely balance of flavors in these cupcakes.
Lemon Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
-Butter: For a wonderful and creamy frosting, use 1 cup softened butter.
-Marshmallow cream: You will need 1 7-oz container of fluffy marshmallow cream.
-Powder sugar: Using 2 cups powdered sugar will give the frosting a nice sweet flavor.
-Lemon zest: Adding in 1 TBSP lemon zest (1 medium lemon) is the perfect addition to this frosting.
-Lemon juice: You need 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (1/2 of 1 medium lemon) for extra lemony flavor!
-Food coloring: If desired, adding in 3-4 drops yellow food coloring will make these extra fancy!
How to make Banana Cupcakes
Prep
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Then, place cupcake liners in a muffin pan and then set it aside.
Cupcake batter
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix. Increase the mixer speed to high and then beat for another 3 minutes.
Proceed to spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full.
Bake
Bake for 13-14 minutes until the tops are a pale golden color.
After baking is complete, while the cupcakes are cooling start making the frosting.
How to make Lemon Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix on medium-high speed, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Mix until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and the frosting has a whipped appearance, this should about 3-4 minutes.
Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, you can also add fun sprinkles if you would like to make them a bit more fun and festive. Or even add a small banana slice too, yum!
Serve and enjoy!
This frosting is an adaption from my Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting.
BANANA CUPCAKES with LEMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 3 medium ripe bananas smashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup regular milk + 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 7 ounce container marshmallow cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest 1 medium lemon
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/2 of 1 medium lemon
- 3-4 drops yellow food coloring if desired
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then, place cupcake liners in a muffin pan and then set it aside.
Cupcake batter
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
- Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix. Increase the mixer speed to high and then beat for another 3 minutes.
- Proceed to spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners until they area bout 2/3 full.
Bake
- Bake for 13-14 minutes until the tops are a pale golden color.
- After baking is complete, while the cupcakes are cooling start making the frosting.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix on medium-high speed, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Mix until all of the ingredients are well incorporated, and the frosting has a whipped appearance, this should about 3-4 minutes.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, you can also add fun sprinkles if you would like to make them a bit more fun and festive. Or even add a small banana slice too, yum!
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
How do you thicken marshmallow frosting?
This frosting should be plenty thick if you follow it exactly, but you never know how things can go wrong. If your frosting is not as thick as you would like it, add in a little more powdered sugar to help thicken it up. This should help to offset the wet ingredients and give you a thicker frosting.
How long can buttercream frosting sit out?
The Food Safety and Inspection Services states that you can leave your frosting out at room temperature for up to 3 days, but keeping it in an airtight container within your fridge is always a safer choice. You can let it warm up to room temperature before using to make it easier to pipe.
Can I leave buttercream frosted cupcakes out overnight?
Already frosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Make sure to keep them in a cool place and inside of an airtight container for maximum freshness.
If you liked these banana cupcakes, you’ll love these recipes!
- Strawberry Banana Lemon Glaze
- Easy Banana Bread
- Lemon Cake Truffles
- Easy Lemon Bread
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Frosted Banana Cake
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake
- Yogurt Lemon Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
- Lemon Drop Glazed Mini Cupcakes
You are going to love the fluffy, light, sweet and tangy flavors of these banana cupcakes with lemon marshmallow buttercream frosting!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
I have a few ripe bananas on my counter calling to these banana cupcakes. Woah! I love the flavor combinations. I’ve never had banana with lemon but I’m sure it’s delicious.